It Won't Stop Running Down My Hand
by EmperorKrieg
Summary: From traveling alone to protecting a Princess, Link must find the one he loves, while dealing with a bloody curse that's been placed on him... Can one that's been raised in battle find the happiness life has to offer?
1. Under The Blood Red Sky

Disclaimer: I don't own Nintendo or anything involving Legend of Zelda, but I am attempting to write a story about things that involve them for entertainment purposes only. Not for the money thing. That's bad.

It Won't Stop Running Down My Hand

In some nameless forest, walked a young man garbed in green. With a strange green hat that seemed to cover most his blonde hair and fall down to his neck, brown leather gauntlets and white tights under his forest green tunic, he didn't seem to fit in with the others of this world. On his back was a monstrous sword with a large silver shield, which seemed to reflect light and at his side was a beautifully crafted long sword. In his backpack, the tip of a bow could be seen along with a quiver of arrows. Due to the large bulk of his pack though, it was obvious that he had much more inside. Sturdy and well-worn leather boots were upon his feet as he trudged through a rain shower at twilight. The sun was just beginning to sink in the distance, giving it the color red, which gave the sky a look of death.

"I hate that color," the young man said aloud with a soft yet firm voice. From the sound he emitted, it seemed as if he hardly used his voice, but when he did, much power came from it. When he gazed at the twilight that lie before him, it seemed as if the sky poured blood from within itself, but really it was only a sudden rain shower. In his dark azure eyes there was a sense of alertness to them, but also a look of sorrow. Reaching into his pack, he pulled forth a thick brown cloak and wrapped it around himself to avoid getting cold from the rain, which seemed to be increasing. Beginning his march once again, he began to head off into the distance, trudging through mud and wet grass.

As he walked, his eyes seemed empty as if he thought of nothing walking through the ending twilight in the rain. The bloody red color seemed to be dissipating more and more as each moment continued. Dark was now setting in. As luck would have it, the boy stepped into a clearing to see a large building, presumably an inn. Sure enough, as he glanced around, he saw a sign that read 'Squallfire Inn.' Deciding he could spare some money, he figured it would be wise to spend some time in a warm home, although he never liked to stay long, only a day or so tops. Other's homes reminded him of what he never had…

"Please, spare my daughters!" a rather rough voice shouted out as the boy in green walked into the inn. Before him, lay a large man on the ground with blood trailing from his arm and in front of him was a man with a curved blade. A scimitar, the boy knew it to be. The man with the curved blade pointed it at the obese man with a smirk on his face. Behind him were two large men, each with large weapons and… women?

"You insulted my co-workers and I, so I think I'll just keep your pretty twins for myself," the man with the scimitar stated as he licked his lips. He seemed like a very dirty man, in more ways then one. His long greasy black hair seemed to fly everywhere on his head but into the place it should have been.

"I only said that her majesty, Princess Zelda, does not like it when I serve bandits! Leave them be, please! They're all I have left!" the man who was obviously the innkeeper shouted out. It seemed like he would usually be a jolly man with his bald head and thick black mustache, but now he lay on the ground, bleeding.

"Blood…" the boy in green whispered aloud as he then raised his left hand to stare at it. In his eyes, blood was running out of his palm and unto the ground like a waterfall.

"Huh?" the dirty bandit finally acknowledged the boy's existence, "don't worry kid, you'll get your turn too."

"Blood," the boy in green said, as it felt like his hand would explode at any second.

"You a freak or something kid? I'll get you out of your misery soon enough…" he sneered. At that point the boy in green brandished the sword at his side and shrieked the word blood. In the blink of an eye he was behind all three of the bandits, as if he hadn't moved at all. Surprise lit the faces of every person in the inn, commoner and bandit alike. A second later, the boy placed his sword back in its scabbard and turned to look at the bandits. Each one of them fell to the ground, split in two. Blood and organs spilled out from each of them at their waists as their eyes bugged out from that split second of pain.

Looking at his left hand, the image of blood pouring from his palm was now gone and he smiled,

"Good. No blood on my hands."

"Girls!" the boy in green finally heard behind him as the two girls rushed to what seemed to be their father. Taking a good look at the girls, he realized they were both very pretty. They had long black hair which flowed down to around their backs and piercing green eyes. One of the twins rushed to get a box of medicinal supplies but the bandages didn't seem to stop the bleeding so they began to sob into his chest. The boy in green could feel the pain in his left hand coming back, but he needn't look down to see the blood rushing out.

"Drink this," the boy said, offering a bottle of red liquid to the man. The girls both looked up to seem the calm eyes of the boy, betraying no emotion.

"What's the catch? Want his soul in return, _devil_!?" one of the two twins shrieked in anger at those cold blue eyes.

"I merely want a place to stay for the night," the boy softly said, offering the man the liquid once more. The girls reluctantly took it from him, and had their father drink it. Moments later, his wound sealed up and he seemed fine. Taking the bottle back from them, he placed it in his pack. After all, those bottles were hard to come by, why let them have it?

As the inn keeper stood up, the boy in green felt the pressure from his left hand disappear and he let a little smile escape past his cold exterior. Needless to say, the innkeeper was happy that he had his daughters back.

"How can I ever repay you?" the man asked with a sincerely joyful smile, but the boy in green merely shrugged his shoulders.

"Don't worry about it. I just want a place to relax while this weather passes." the boy as he began to pick up one of the bodies of the bandits.

"What are you doing?" one of the twins asked with a look of horror on her face as the boy dug his hands into the filth of a dead human.

"Cleaning up after myself," he stated matter-of-factly with only a nod of his head. After taking the bodies behind the house and burying them deeply in the ground beside a tree he came back inside, with his forest colored clothes stained with blood. The innkeeper and his twins just stared at him for a moment, before the innkeeper offered that his daughters clean his clothing in thanks. He could hardly refuse, since the smell of blood didn't exactly make him feel all that wonderful. Taking off his tunic and handing it to one of the girls, he sat down in a stool by a bar. Only in thin tights now, the girls blushed as one of them walked off to do his laundry. The other stayed and kept throwing glances at the boy. He had to admit that he was quite handsome in an exotic kind of way. He was born a Hylian, but was raised in forests and mountains where not many people lived, so he turned into a very large man, with a nice frame and a fairly attractive face. Most Hylians were thin and relied on quick footwork to get them out of battles alive, while he used his brawn to crush his opponents.

"My name's Karlov, and this is my daughter Dawn. My other girl, who's doing your laundry, is Dusk." Karlov started up a conversation, expecting the boy to keep it going.

"Nice to meet you all," the boy stated. Hell, it would be rude to ignore him, right?

"I've never seen anyone use a sword like that, not even the bandits. Where did you learn your moves from?" Dawn asked him, with a sultry look in her eyes. She seemed a little too young to be giving that look in his opinion.

"Around," he nonchalantly answered while waving his hand after only split second of thought. He had been asked that before, but why should be bother answering? It's not as if he would spending a long time with these people. He never spent a long time anywhere, actually.

"What do you do for a living?" Karlov asked the young man, expecting him to be a bodyguard or knight.

"I travel," the boy softly said, growing tired of this.

"Would you mind if I get something to eat?" he quickly asked before either of them could ask another question.

"Sure! I'll cook you something right away!" Dawn quickly shouted as she ran into a backroom, which he figured was a kitchen. Now he was alone with the innkeeper.

"Tell me boy, what exactly are you?" Karlov the innkeeper finally asked, after a moment of silence.

"What?" the question caught him off guard just as it sunk into his head.

"Those bandits were powerful. Not even knights from the castle are able to take them down, but you dispatched them like they were nothing!" Karlov's voice began to rise.

"I guess I'm just good," the boy spoke in a modest tone, which seemed to piss off the innkeeper. Silence seemed to overtake the room, when suddenly both twins entered the room at once. Dawn entered with a large bowel of soup and some bread as Dusk came in with his tunic, now clean and dried by the fireplace. The boy reached to Dusk and placed his tunic on, and then turned around to eat his late dinner. The vegetable soup was incredibly delicious to his hungry self, but then again, just about everything tasted good when you were starving. After eating his meal, he asked that he get a room to get some much-needed rest. Both girls gladly offered to take him to his room with a smile and just as he was getting up, he heard Karlov ask one last question of the boy.

"Tell me son, what's your name?" he asked as the boy turned to him and smiled.

"Link. My name is Link, sir."


	2. A Lonely Tear

Disclaimer: I don't own Nintendo or anything involving Legend of Zelda, but I am attempting to write a story about things that involve them for entertainment purposes only. Not for the money thing. That's bad.

It Won't Stop Running Down My Hand

Thousands upon thousands of beasts and monsters stood before Link and a blood red sky, surrounding him with deadly looking weapons. Lizards, wolves, skeletons; all bipedal with expressions that showed they had some kind of intelligence. Link was naked, without even a sword, as they began to converge upon him and started to slash at him with their terrifying swords and spears. After attempting to dodge the fatal blows, Link was beginning to grow tired as he made his way out of the circle of death. Coming out of the circle, he only found himself surrounded by even larger creatures. The momentary look of hope on his face was destroyed, along with any hope of living. The larger creatures then began to grab his limbs and tear him apart, piece-by-piece.

"I don't want to die!" he cried out in agony, as his right arm was torn out of the socket.

"I said I don't want to die!" he screamed again, as both his legs were cleaved off.

"I want to live…!" he made one last scream as he looked down at his left hand. On the top of his hand, as his palm was pouring out blood, a shining symbol was digging into his skin like some kind of brand. Three golden triangles were there, but the bottom left triangle seemed to glow brighter then the others.

"I can't die yet! I have a promise to keep! I HAVE TO KEEP MOVING!!!" he shrieked as loud as he could as he reached with his left arm to pick up its twin. Using his right arm, he began to beat back the behemoths that tortured him.

"I must… Keep… MOVING!" he yelled out as his world seemed to shift into a haze and vanish.

Awaking with a start, Link grasped at his left hand as it pulsed with pain. Now that the leather gauntlet was removed for comfort as he slept, a series of triangles could be seen as in his dream. Burning pain was erupting out of his hand as he softly stroked the image on his hand in an attempt to make the pain go away.

"Why…?" he questioned out loud, "Why does it hurt so bad!? The longer I live, the more it hurts!"

"Is everything okay in there?" a soft female voice asked, probably either Dusk or Dawn.

"I'm fine," Link softly answered, just wanting to be left alone. Of course, things weren't always as easy as that. The door opened and in stepped one of the twins, maybe Dawn? It _was_ morning outside…

"I heard screaming as I walked by your room, and I was wondering if you're alright? Were you having a nightmare?" she asked in an almost too happy voice. The smile on her face didn't exactly make Link feel any more comfortable.

"I'm alright, it's no big deal," Link lied, even as the pain increased.

"Well, breakfast is prepared, so whenever you're ready…" she trailed off, as she left the room.

"Seems the longer I stay in one place, the longer it takes to keep moving, the more it hurts…" Link mumbled as he stood and began cloth himself.

"Seems like the longer I live, the more those nightmares haunt me as well," he thought to himself, as he put on his green tunic and placed his long sword at his side. Stopping to think about it, this sword truly was a masterpiece. He had found it in some nameless wooded area, deep in the forest within a pedestal. Whether by fate or by coincidence, when he placed his hand on the handle of the blade, it loosened itself from its rocky prison and from then on was his to own. Link didn't feel it was a coincidence though, since the same stigmata that lie on his hand, was also on his sword. His other sword, his full blade that seemed to dwarf his long sword, was purchased from a blacksmith in a mountain far away by a species of rock like people. Link had been having problems with groups of people ganging up on him, since he was too strong to take one on one, so he needed a weapon, which could plow through many people at once. It's not as if he liked the idea of murder, but it was either them or him. The sword worked out so well, that he had affectionately named the sword 'Death,' after the mountain it had been forged at. He liked his long sword, but as of yet he hadn't had to use it too often, except when he fought against only one opponent, or if there wasn't enough space to wield Death in. At inns he would leave the large sword, which was nearly the size of him, in his room and carried around his long sword. Maybe he was a little too paranoid? Then again, he was still alive because of that very paranoia of destruction. Finally leaving warm room, he left to sit down in the dinning area to eat breakfast. Both Dawn and Dusk were awake and both looking the same, just as last night. Karlov was standing behind the bar, cleaning up the counter top. Link sighed as he glanced out the window, since he was hoping to leave that very day, but the rainy weather was still in the sky.

"Here you are Link," one of the sisters smirked as she placed food on the table he was going to sit at. Eggs, bacon, biscuits and a glass of milk sure looked good to his empty stomach.

"Thank you," came his soft-spoken reply as he sat down and began to eat. As he sat down to eat, he realized he really didn't like talking much, he'd much rather be silent. He also realized he was being started at, which made him awfully uncomfortable.

"So Link, how long will you be staying with us?" one of the two twins who were staring at him longingly from across the table asked him.

"Um," he stumbled on his words, not used to so much blatant attention, "I guess I'll leave when the weather gets better.

"But that will only be a day or so!" the other sister whined.

"Yeah, I suppose so…" Link trailed off as he turned his attention back to his food. It really was a good breakfast, but Link couldn't fully enjoy it, knowing that two pairs of eyes were fixed on him, staring into his very being. It was nerve wrecking to know that his soul could be opened up so easily and picked apart like carrion for vultures.

"So where are you traveling to?" one of them asked again.

"The castle town of Hyrule," he said, hoping that this would be the last of the questions.

"Castle town?" one of them said, as the other's mouth hung wide open.

"Why? What's wrong with that?" Link asked, almost afraid with the way they seemed so shocked.

"Northern Hyrule, where the castle is; it's been in war for the last year or so!" the one who Link thought was Dawn almost shouted.

"War? What nation would stand against Hyrule?" Link wondered aloud. It was common knowledge that in this world, Hyrule was the largest nation with the strongest army. What could possibly stand against that?

"About a year or so ago, a new nation appeared to the far north called Mandrag Ganon and their Emperor has legions of monsters under his control," Dawn(?) explained.

"I see…" Link began to stare intently at the table as Dawn took his used plate away. While she was gone, Dusk leaned forward and began to whisper into Link's ear.

"Please, just stay here with me…" she pleaded into his ear, as they were alone.

"What?" he pulled back with a look of surprise on his face.

"That's right, just stay here. Don't get rapped up in a war," she pouted to him as he began to move away from her further.

"I'm sorry, but I have to go," Link apologized as he turned his head away from her.

"Why? Why do you _have_ to go?" she questioned with a look of annoyance on her face. Hearing her question, Link got the flash of an image in his head, an image of a beautiful young blonde girl in a brilliant dress smiling at him.

"I have a promise to keep," he sternly said as he walked towards the bar to get Karlov's attention. It wasn't as if he really wanted to talk with him, but it seemed that when their father was around they weren't as forward with him. Hours went by, and the sun began to drift away as the darkness crept forward. Looking out a window, Link actually had a small smile plastered on his face.

"Although I don't know why, I really enjoy looking up at that dark sky," Link thought to himself as he realized the rain passed away. He would finally be able to leave this place and not have to worry about Dusk. Dawn seemed to be a little bit better behaved, but Dusk, despite the fact she was sixteen years old while Link was twenty-two, had been rubbing against him every chance she got, attempting to make it look like they were all accidents. Link, having become fed up with it, decided it was time for bed after he had consumed a few drinks and a late dinner. As he got off his stool, to try and move to his room, something caught his attention. Dusk was smiling at him, with a look that reminded Link of the rabid wolf creatures that inhabited the world. Her look was a predatory one, which gave Link the creeps.

"Pleasant dreams Link," she smirked with a look that showed she had other ideas in store for him then just a nice night of sleep.

"Uh, you too…" Link trailed off, with a worried voice, as he walked into his room and immediately closed the door behind him. Deciding it would be safe to place his swords within arm reach, he prepared himself for another night of sleep and defense. Only, he lies in bed and couldn't exactly fall asleep so easily, since Dusk had given him such a strange expression.

"Maybe she was only teasing me, trying to get me to lose sleep and stay another day…" Link mumbled to himself as his eyelids began to grow heavy and he found himself asleep.

Link could feel his world shaking as he opened his eyes and found that he was no longer asleep. Sitting up and rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand, he now saw Dusk sitting on the bed with him. She wore with her an outfit probably made for traveling, with its light brown and green color scheme, along with the cloak on her back.

"What's wrong?" Link asked through his tired voice with a tone of near innocence due to his tired nature.

"You said you were leaving this morning, right?" she asked with a smile on her face.

"Yeah, that's right…" he trailed off, not understanding everything at the moment.

"Please, you must take me with you!" she near shouted, giving Link a shock.

"What?" was the only thing he could think to say?

"My family abuses me! They hate me and wish I were dead! You have to take me away from all this!" her tone was dramatic, but almost too dramatic.

"What? You want me to take you with me? I'm sure if we only talk to your father and sister…" Link trailed off as he stood and went for the door but Dusk stood in front of him.

"You mustn't speak with them about this!" she hissed in anger, only to make Link more confused then before. If she was truly afraid of them knowing, this could very well be a little more dangerous then he expected. Karlov was a pretty big man after all, so he could have some kind of tricks up his sleeves. Link then grabbed his long sword and pushed past her and out through the door.

"No! You can't!" she shrieked, but it was too late. Link had already barged through the door to Karlov's room. That's when realization struck Link and he finally pieced together what Dusk was trying to do. On a huge bed in the middle of the room, was the dead body of Karlov and Dawn. Stabbed repeatedly with some kind of dagger.

"They had to be removed so they wouldn't get in the way of our love, darling," came the almost terrifyingly seductive voice of Dusk behind him. Quickly turning around, Link saw her standing before him with a long dagger in her hand.

"Wait a second," Link attempted to continue but was silenced by Dusk.

"No, _you_ listen! Our love cannot be extinguished so easily! Come! We can leave this trash behind us and continue on together, forever!" she triumphantly stated with a bold smile on her face. Link realized he was obviously in danger, since she was so unstable. He only needed a distraction and some time to think of a way out of this situation.

"Well, at least let us bury them in the back. It would be the respectable thing to do," he attempted to reason with a look of nervousness on him.

"Oh Link, you truly are noble…" she slid over to him and hungrily pressed her lips against his while her hands began to move across his body.

"This isn't right," Link thought as she tried to push him unto the bed with the corpses of Karlov and Dawn on it.

"This isn't right at all," Link continued in his thoughts, until the only thing he could think, over and over again was on how the situation wasn't right.

"This isn't right!" he finally screamed and pushed her back and away from him in fit of despair.

"Fine then," she began with a look of cold indifference on her face, "let's just be united by death then and stay together forever!"

"Huh?" Link uttered but it was too late, she had already begun to dive at him with her dagger. In the few moments that made up the second that it took to get from where Dusk stood to where Link was standing, Link had already glanced down to his left hand and saw the blood pouring from his palm.

"Some deaths are unavoidable though," he quickly thought, as he pulled out his sword and pushed it forward as Dusk darted into his range. The long sword was much longer then her dagger though, and the tip of his sword pierced right through her. As her momentum kept her moving along the sword, growing closer to Link, the last of her strength began to ebb away from her.

"I'm sorry, but I can't be the one for you…" Link apologized, as blood began to dribble out of her mouth and down her chin.

"I promised her though… Promised her I would do everything in my power to keep moving towards the castle," he explained but stopped himself as he realized Dusk was raising her dagger toward his face.

"I…" she mumbled as she stuck her dagger into his forehead with what little power she had left and slid it down his face, opening a large gash along his face. From his forehead toward his right eye and down to his chin the opening ran, dripping his blood down his face.

"I probably deserve that," he began "and I'm sure you deserve this…" he whispered as he leaned his face towards hers and pressed his bloodied lips against hers. Kissing her for a few moments, their blood and saliva mixed together while his tongue ran along her lips. After a couple seconds, she was dead with a content expression on her face. Saying no more words he pulled his sword out of her body and cleaned the blood off. Placing the sword back in the sheath and then walked outside and picked up a shovel. Then, next to an old oak tree, he began to dig. A single lone tear could be seen running down his face, mixing with the scratch along his face that would stay with him forever.

Author's Notes: Hello readers. I'd like to thank those of you who reviewed and gave me the motivation to keep going so soon on this fan fiction. It really means a lot to me, to know that some of you find it well done. I hope you guys continue to enjoy it for as long as I keep writing it.


	3. Geyser Of Gore

Disclaimer: I don't own Nintendo or anything involving Legend of Zelda, but I am attempting to write a story about things that involve them for entertainment purposes only. Not for the money thing. That's bad.

It Won't Stop Running Down My Hand

Two mounds of dirt with a stone by each were now in the backyard, along with the grave for the bandits. Although Link didn't feel it necessary to mark anything on the rocks, he did however place a dagger next to one of the tombs. Dirty from all the digging and hauling, he was covered with mud and blood.

"I'm sorry that it had to be this way Dusk, but I can't abandon my promise," Link spoke aloud to the grave with the single body in it. A flash of an image of a gorgeous blond girl, who seemed to be no more, then thirteen years old erupted in his mind once again.

"Please meet me at the castle town of Hyrule," a youthful and soft voice echoed in the confines of his head.

"I just don't feel like you knew me Dusk, you only thought you knew me…" he trailed off aloud again, as if Dusk were in front of him once more.

"Only _she_ has ever looked into my heart and accepted me," he muttered as he clenched his left hand in a fist.

"The more you told me you wanted me to stay here, the more my mark hurt. I just had to keep moving alone," he said aloud, as if he was trying to convince himself.

"When I'm with others, it just hurts even more. Even so, I'm still a murderer…" he placed himself in perspective. In Link's mind he truly felt he was everything that despicable word entailed. He had taken the life of a Hylian, whether she was sane or not wasn't really the point. It was the fact that he so easily stole that precious force from her, which kept her living.

"I won't ever change it seems," he sighed as he turned around and walked back into the inn. Obviously, it wouldn't be used for quite a long time since its owners were no longer among the living. Link looked down to see the long trail of blood that lead from Karlov's room to the outside, which he felt shouldn't be just lying there.

"Guess it would be a waste to just leave the building to thieves and bandits," Link told himself as he walked into the kitchen to get a bucket of water and soap, so that he could clean up the streak of crimson that ran across the floor.

After cleaning his mess up, and throwing away any food that would spoil he checked around the house and found a set of keys to the building. Packing his gear and leaving, but remembering to lock the inn up, he began to walk off towards the castle town of Hyrule. Stopping and giving the inn one last look, Link gingerly brushed a hand across his newly formed scar that ran down his face. He purposely hadn't treated the cut, to let it scar up. It would be a reminder to him for the rest of his life that he was a tainted being, deserving of Hell. Oddly enough, it wasn't fear of death that he felt when Dusk trying to seduce him, it was a fear of being with her, which he couldn't understand at all.

"I don't understand myself," he mumbled aloud as he turned back around and began to head off towards the castle town.

After about two days of walking through forested area, and only pausing for meals and sleep, Link felt that he was getting closer to castle town.

"The beasts that usually inhabit woods like this one haven't been coming around, I must be close to a place where people frequently come," Link reasoned aloud, as he heard a soft sound in the distance. Deciding that it was in his best interest to find out what the noise was, he began to head towards it. It wasn't long though, before he stumbled out of the forest and onto a dirt road with a carriage coming towards him at a decent speed.

"Whoa!" a thin old man with a large beard called out to his large horse that was pulling the carriage. The large hunk of wood with wheels slowed to a stop as the man took a look at Link. No words were spoken between either of them for quite some time. Link couldn't blame the old man though, since he was wearing a traveler's outfit, had a humongous sword on his back and a long sword at his side, a backpack filled with provisions and obviously some amount of weapons, (since his bow and quiver could easily be seen,) and an assortment of other things which made him stand out like his size, since he was so much bigger then an average Hylian.

"Can I," the old man began, almost trailing off "help you?"

"Is the castle town of Hyrule near here?" Link asked in his soft voice. The old man gave Link a funny look and proceeded to tell him that it's about a day's travel away by carriage and that he was welcome to hitch a ride.

"Thank you sir," Link politely stated.

"My grand daughter is back there though, so be quiet so you don't wake her up," the old man told him as Link nodded his head and walked to the back of the cart.

"Oh no, not again…" Link pleaded with whatever higher powers existed to not let it be a repeat of the 'inn incident.' Carefully climbing in, he placed himself at a far corner and glanced around the cart. It was obvious this man was a merchant of some kind, due to the oddities in his cart. Rugs, swords, armor, barrels of food, clothing, furniture; he had everything. At first glace, he missed the little girl with brown hair. On his second glance though, he caught sight of her and she just looked up at him and proceeded to stare at him. Her deep brown eyes seemed to scan Link, like she was sizing him up as an opponent in battle.

"Hi, my name is Link," he said, hoping to get her to stop staring at him like that. It was as if she saw him as an enemy or something.

"That's nice," she nonchalantly stated in an arrogant voice, turning her head around and once again focusing on whatever it was she was doing before Link came in. He was speechless; this girl had brushed him aside like he was nothing.

"I guess it's better this way," Link thought to himself.

"I mean, almost everyone stares at me either like a piece of meat or like I'm a freak…" he trailed off in his head. After thinking to himself for a while longer, he nodded off to sleep. Although the sleep wasn't blissful, due to the bumpy road they were on, it was sleep none the less. Then, just as a dream began to formulate in his brain, a sudden pain jerked him out of his rested state. Looking down to where the pain was coming from, his left hand, he began to foresee blood pouring out of his palm like some kind of spring. Quickly looking up, he realized that somehow he had been surrounded by furniture and couldn't see anything but a chair and a couch. He could hear however, and a large amount of voices outside told him that trouble was going on. Pushing the furniture out of the way, he jumped outside to see a pack of dog faced humanoids holding the little girl up in the air like she was a prize fish that had just been caught.

"'Zo not only do we'ze get 'da old man's stuff, but we'ze can kill him and keep 'da girl!" one of the dog beings chuckled in a moronic voice which showed he had very little intelligence.

"She ain't developed dough, so we'ze have to let her grow a 'lil," the one holding her laughed. Link glanced around to see that there were about eight more of these beings around, with the old man on the ground unconscious.

"We'ze 'da luckiest Moblins in dese here forests," another 'Moblin' laughed. Tears ran down the girls face as she contemplated her fate.

"Let'z just take a 'lil peek," the one holding her giggled like a perverted boy as he ran the nail of one of his dirty fingers across the child's dress, ripping it open to reveal her flat chest.

"And maybe, just a 'lil taste," he triumphantly stated as his face neared her body. At this point, Link glanced down and saw that the blood was erupting out of his hand, like some kind of exploding volcano.

"Stop this now!" Link shrieked as the Moblins all glanced over at the fuming young man.

"We mizzed one boss!" a Moblin shouted to the one holding the girl.

"Kill 'em 'den!" the boss yelled as a group of the Moblins began to converge upon Link.

"Run away! Save yourself!" the little girl gallantly shouted to Link, attempting to have him live while her and her grand father's fate was sealed.

"Never!" Link shouted as he threw 'Death,' his full blade, down on the first Moblin who came within his range. The Moblin merely split in half with a yelp as his body fell apart in different directions. Link smirked at the remaining Moblins and chuckled.

"Seeya," he laughed as he proceeded to step towards his blade in the blink of an eye, and swing his blade around like a windmill facing the heavens. A flash of bright green light erupted out of his sword as six other Moblins were ripped apart from their torsos and fell to the ground like lifeless hunks of meat. As the chunks dropped, blood and intestines spewed forth out of their bodies causing the little girl to gasp in nausea. The three remaining Moblins stared in disbelief at this Hylian boy who so easily chopped their brethren to pieces. Letting his full blade drop, Link proceeded to pull out his long sword and dive towards the two remaining Moblins who did not have a hostage.

"No! Spare us!" one of them shouted, but it was too late. Not that Link would have spared them anyway, but their cries of horror were quickly silenced by Link who carved out a triangle shaped design on each of their chests, right through their armor like it was nothing. Their unmoving husks that once contained life fell to the ground with only a 'thump.'

"Don't move or I'll snap 'da girls neck right off!" yelled the seemingly confident former boss. After all though, a boss was only in existence if it had others to boss around.

"Don't worry about me, just kill him!" the girl cried out, tears running down her pretty face. The Moblin just glanced down at her in disbelief, but quickly realized his error and looked up. The last thing he saw was an arrow flying into his right eye socket. As the Moblin dropped the ground, the girl fell to the ground with him and quickly slid away from his body but couldn't keep moving since a tree blocked her way. Tears began to stream down her face as she cried. Walking over to her with no words, and reached into his pack to find his cloak. Pulling it out and handing it to her, she merely covered her self up with it, to hide her nude self.

"Don't worry, everything is okay…" Link softly said, resting his hand upon her head, in an attempt to comfort her. He really wasn't good at this sort of thing, since he hardly had any contact with others, but she seemed comfortable enough around him now. No longer was she giving him a look as if he was an outsider, but now a she gave him a look of trust.

"Come on, let's keep moving…" Link trailed off, as he picked her up and walked her to the cart. Giving him a look of shock at his kindness, she only smiled and closed her eyes. Placing her in the cart, and proceeding to do the same for the knocked out old man, Link then went to the front of the carriage after loading up the Moblins armor and weapons. This man was a merchant, so perhaps he would want them? His wound wasn't bad at all, just a bump on the head, but he would be asleep for a few more hours.

"My name is Arielle," a soft voice came from the back of the cart. Link could feel a warm smile spread across his face as he answered back while having the horse begin his travel yet again,

"That's a nice name…"

Author's Notes: Thanks everyone, your reviews mean a lot to me. Although I'm not going to be like others and say the only way for me to update is to get reviews, it DOES make me want to do more writing if I know that more of you enjoy it. Thanks again…!


	4. The Emeralds That Shine Over Hyrule

Disclaimer: I don't own Nintendo or anything involving Legend of Zelda, but I am attempting to write a story about things that involve them for entertainment purposes only. Not for the money thing. That's bad.

It Won't Stop Running Down My Hand

Lying in the back of the old wagon with little Arielle resting beside him, her head upon his stomach, Link was enjoying himself. The old man had since waken up, thanked Link profusely and began to drive again, urging Link to get some relaxation. As soon as Link had lay down, Arielle had walked up to him, still wearing the over sized cloak he gave her, and asked if she could rest next to him. As far as Link was concerned, there was no harm in that. As far as he could tell, the young girl had surrounded him in furniture, so that when the Moblins had attacked, they wouldn't see him and he could get away.

"But… Why would she want to protect me?" Link thought to himself with his eyes closed. The carriage hit a bump that lifted young Arielle's head off of his abdomen for a split second and caused her to stir for a moment. Mumbling something to herself, or the cart, she then snuggled closer to Link and began to fall deeper in sleep.

"I hate it when people are so close, but every time she gets closer to me, I just want to protect her more," Link told him self in his thoughts.

"She makes me want to be," Link trailed off in his head and continued "a father." Silence filled the surrounding area of the cart, causing an eerie feeling to pass through Link.

"I could never be a good father though, I've caused so much pain to others…" he accidentally trailed off aloud, as soft as a whisper.

"What'd ya say?" a young and tired voice came from his belly. Link glanced down to see she was awake and was about to speak, when a tired voice shouted from the front of the cart.

"We're here, at castle town!" the old man seemed very happy to be there, and then began to urge them to the front. Link wasn't sure why he should bother, but the old man seemed to need him in front. Not bothering to remove his weapons or gear, he proceeded to go to the front of the carriage with Arielle. Standing in front of the horse-drawn cart were two Hylian guards with steel armor on, carrying spears.

"Who exactly is _this_?" one of the guards asked, mouth agape at the huge young man with weapons all over him.

"He's the son of an old friend of mine," the old man said, not missing a beat.

"Is that right?" the other guard asked, looking at Link.

"Yes, I've been training all my life and I don't get out much. I finally decided to go the famous castle town of Hyrule, when I met up with them," Link motioned to the old man and Arielle.

"He was real lucky that grandpa knew him from a long time ago! I thought he was a beast!" Arielle said in such a way to show her faked childhood innocence. The guards laughed at this and let them pass without another question.

"Thought I was a beast, eh?" Link asked in an almost annoyed voice after the carriage passed through the gates of castle town. Arielle only laughed at this and kept looking straight ahead. Deciding to pay attention to the town he sought for so long, he was amazed that it was so busy. Yet hadn't he heard the city was at war?

"Hey, isn't this place supposed to be at war?" Link asked in a puzzled voice.

"It is," the old man replied.

"Then why is everyone acting like they don't have a care in the world?" Link wondered.

"Well the whole town is completely surrounded by fortress walls," the old man began "In the history of this three year long war, there's yet to be a breach in those walls."

"I see, so the townspeople grow complacent, while the soldiers go off to die?" Link said this sentence with at least a little amount of bitterness. He could feel for the soldiers, who were ultimately told that death was what they live for. The old man stayed silent and had no response, probably because Link made a good point. After a few minutes the horse was stopped and the old man got off the carriage to secure it down, and opened up his cart for others to see.

"So you two _are_ merchants," Link stated to Arielle who only nodded. After a few minutes of sitting around, a group of people began to come and go from his little shop, purchasing this and that, nothing too interesting. Then, a large group of soldiers came around a corner, talking amongst themselves.

"Let's take a look and see what the old man has this week," one of them mentioned, as they crowded around the cart. Noticing Link, they stared at him like he was a monster for just a second, and then resumed shopping.

"Wait, what's this doing here!" one of the soldiers exclaimed, pulling out a piece of the Moblin armor and one of their spears. The old man couldn't answer, and looked to Link.

"The Moblins I killed were carrying them," Link casually said. After all, those dog-faced monsters were defeated like child's play.

"There are ten suits of Moblin armor here though! Did you sneak up on them? That's the way we do it…" another soldier rationalized.

"No." Link bluntly interrupted, getting annoyed looks from the soldiers.

"Then I bet you stole them since there is no way in Hell you could kill ten of them in hand to hand combat," the first soldier mocked Link's blunt attitude.

"Think what you want," Link shrugged his shoulders and began to lean against the cart. This casual act only infuriated the soldiers.

"You think you're so big and bad, is that it? How about you come with us and explain to the general how great you are!" the first soldier smirked as the soldiers began to step towards him. In that instant, Link had already formulated the best plan for killing each and every soldier in his path. Plus, he had devised it all so that he could easily escape into the alley behind a building near him.

"If that's what you wish," Link softly said, complying with the soldiers. It wasn't that he was afraid of them, but he didn't want to cause trouble for Arielle and her grandfather.

"Not so tough now that we're taking you to General Sifrak, eh?" one of the soldiers laughed as they took Link away.

"Please don't take him!" a young female voice called out from behind them as Link prepared himself to meet the General.

"Get away, brat!" one of the soldiers yelled as he kicked Arielle in the face, dropping her to the ground in a matter of seconds. Link's pupils dilated as adrenaline began to pump into his veins. He needn't look down to know that blood was pouring out of his left hand, blood that only he could see. Letting out a battle cry, Link spun between the four soldiers that surrounded him and he proceeded to punch the soldier that kicked Arielle in the face.

"What?" was the last thing the soldier uttered before Link's hand went into his face with the force of an explosion. Before the other soldiers could even get near the both of them, Link followed forth with a few more fists and even a kick to the man's stomach. As the other soldiers grabbed Link and began to drag him to whatever fate await him. The last thing Link saw before turning a corner was Arielle being helped up by her grandfather and the silent body of the unconscious soldier.

"Bastard! You're lucky we don't let you rot in the dungeon for that!" one of the soldier's shouted to a silent young man in green. Bringing him to the inner walls of a castle, they began to walk into a large barrack. Link was amazed at the castle though, since he had expected an old and dirty building, filled with old men who pretended they did something for the nation. Instead, it was a beautiful building with gardens all around the castle. Link didn't have much time to be amazed at the scenery though, since the soldiers were forcing him along into the large building which no doubt housed the other soldiers and guards. Walking down hall after hall, they finally made it to a large set of doors. Knocking on one of the doors, a soldier asked to be let in and a burly voice told him it was all right. Forcing him inside the room, Link could now see General Sifrak. The huge man stood in front of a large window, over looking the town. He had no armor on like the soldiers, but a set of golden armor could be seen near him with a huge sword. He had long white hair and a thick mustache.

"What do we have here?" General Sifrak asked, turning around to look Link up and down. Sifrak had cold blue eyes that seemed to pierce into Link.

"Originally we wanted you to ask him how he could have collected ten Moblins armor and swords but then he began to attack one of my men," a soldier said as he saluted the General.

"Is this true, young man?" Sifrak asked Link, but it was obvious he didn't place much importance on the words of the young man.

"Yes sir," Link calmly stated. After all, he _had_ attacked the soldier.

"Very well, lock him in the dungeon and lets forget about him…" General Sifrak trailed off, as if he was talking about the weather.

"For how long sir?" the soldier asked his superior officer.

"I guess until he dies or something. I don't know," the General waved his hand, showing that he had no interest in the powerful young man, who's only crime was telling the truth and protecting his new found friend.

"Yes sir," the soldier complied as if sealing this man's fate was meaningless. Thoughts began to rush through Link's head all at once as if his brain had exploded.

"I can't rot in a dungeon!"

"I won't be able to keep my promise!"

"I still have to see her!"

"I HAVE TO KEEP MOVING!"

At this point, while all those thoughts and more began to dash into his mind, pain exploded in his left hand. Looking down, he could see blood rushing out of his palm. Link silently cursed the golden triangles, which were branded on his hand.

"No! I have a promise to keep!" Link shouted as everyone in the room glanced at him. Suddenly, before anyone could utter another word, Link's left hand began to feel better. Before long, he stared in amazement as the pain left his hand and it was replaced by a feeling of warmth and even pleasure. The door to the room opened and a beautiful voice shouted out.

"General Sifrak, an army of thousands is heading our way. I need you to ready your men and prepare for battle from the North _and_ East." the voice was strong yet compassionate.

"Yes, your majesty." General Sifrak answered in a deep voice. Looking up from his hand, Link saw the most beautiful, and yet familiar, girl he had ever seen in his entire life. She had long blond hair and deep green eyes that sparkled like the greatest of emeralds. Her slender figure carried a pink dress with the same triangle patterns, which consumed his left and his long sword. This was the very same girl he had made that promise to so many years ago.

"It's you!?" Link asked in a shock voice.


	5. The Destiny Of Courage

Disclaimer: I don't own Nintendo or anything involving Legend of Zelda, but I am attempting to write a story about things that involve them for entertainment purposes only. Not for the money thing. That's bad.

It Won't Stop Running Down My Hand

All the soldiers in the room, General Sifrak and the beautiful girl were staring at Link now. He could understand why though, since he had just shouted 'It's you!' to the elegant blond that stood before him. Link could feel his face growing warmer every second that she stared at him with those beautiful green eyes.

"Who is this?" the girl suddenly turned to Sifrak, demanding some sort of an explanation.

"Some young punk who started a fight in town with my men," the General spat out, feeling meek under her demanding stare.

"In any case," she began, not paying any mind to Link, "there are two complete armies coming our way from the North and the East. I need you to ready your men for battle," she commanded with such force, that Link could see the soldiers tremble under her voice.

"Two complete armies?" Sifrak sounded skeptical.

"Yes, two of them." she stated.

"Your majesty, if we spread our armies out to cover both sides, we'll be overwhelmed!" Sifrak nearly shouted.

"Then have the Northern side cover the castle walls, using long range weapons to hold them back," she commanded as if she had a plan for every occurrence that could possibly arise.

"Princess!" a guard shouted as he ran into the room in a rush and quickly bowed to the beautiful girl.

"What is it?" she asked in such a calm way, that it showed she couldn't be fazed at all.

"The northern armies of Mandrag Ganon have just gotten reinforcements! It's a division of spell casters!" the guard cried out in fear.

"Wizrobes?" Sifrak asked in terror. The princess' calm demeanor was now gone, and on her face was a look of agony.

"The last time those Wizrobes attacked, they pelted the town with fire balls and other crazy tricks!" Sifrak shouted through clenched teeth.

"So much death… Not again…" the princess mumbled to herself as she began to waver as she stood. Link could feel empathy growing in his veins, and for some reason his left hand had the urge to take her in his arms and wash away all her sorrows in any way possible.

"Princess Zelda, what shall we do?" Sifrak asked in a sad voice. For a few moments, silence filled the room as no words were exchanged until a strong yet soft voice shattered the silence.

"I will defend the North," it said confidently and without hesitance. As everyone looked to Link, a smile tugged on his lips at the thought of such a battle. Truly, he had once lived for that feeling, until the promise came into his life.

"This is no time to be joking, boy!" Sifrak shouted out in anger as Zelda looked at him with those emerald eyes yet again. As their eyes connected, Link's urge to hold her began to rise to such a point that it almost began to hurt. Then, without thinking about it, Link felt his left hand reach out and grasp her right hand. At that instant, the whole room began to grow dark and light began to pulse out of both their hands. Golden energy began to swirl around them as a series of yellow triangles appeared on both their hands.

"You…?" Link stuttered out, unsure of what to say. He could feel his face becoming crimson as she gazed at him with her beautiful eyes.

"You have the Triforce of Courage? That's incredible!" she smiled at him with her pearly whites and Link could feel a small smile creep on his face.

"What's a Triforce?" Link asked, unsure of what such a thing was.

"The Triforce was created by the three Goddesses when our world was created. It was separated into three parts though, after something happened long ago. My third of the Triforce is wisdom," and she held up her hand to show that the bottom right triangle was a brighter color then the others.

"What part do I possess?" Link asked in a curious voice.

"You surely possess the Triforce of courage," she answered.

"What of the last piece?" Link asked again.

"…Power," she answered after a moment of a hesitation with a look of dread on her face.

"What's wrong with power?" Link asked.

"It is fated that the three with the crests shall gather to battle for ownership of the Triforce. It is also destiny that courage and wisdom should combine their abilities to defeat power." she answered, suddenly looking grim.

"Is it a bad thing that power gets control of this Triforce?" Link asked, unsure of what the Triforce could do in the first place.

"The Triforce, when all pieces are placed together, can grant whoever touches the golden triangles any wish that their heart desires. If a person with an evil heart touches it, all their dark desires will be granted. If a person with a good heart touches it though, all their pure wishes are granted," she explained as everyone in the room stared at them with wide eyes.

"Who has this piece of power?" Link asked, realizing that the Triforce could be capable of evil things.

"Ganondorf Dragmire, Emperor of Mandrag Ganon…" Zelda answered with a look of disgust on her face.

"And currently, that very person is attacking Hyrule to gain the power of the Triforce, correct?" Link asked, suddenly growing serious.

"Yes, yes he is…" she trailed off, suddenly realizing that that they were both still holding hands.

"I'll defend the North, you and your men protect the East!" Link shouted the order to a stunned Sifrak. Just before Sifrak could call him a fool, Zelda had given him a commanding look that made him think otherwise.

"How many men will you need?" Sifrak asked Link with a slight amount of apprehension. Link was already heading to the door though, with a smirk on his face.

"All I'll need is 'Death' here," Link smiled while he patted the handle of his full blade.

"How could I ever repay you for doing this?" Zelda asked, with a look that told Link that she might never see him again. He could only laugh inwardly at this.

"Remember, Princess. Just remember…" Link trailed off with a look of seriousness as he began to head off to what would be his most glorious battle as of yet.

As Link walked out into the courtyard of the castle he stopped for a moment to laugh at himself. He had been traveling for the last twelve years to meet with a person that he promised he would find, only to end up fighting a losing battle for her, and it seemed painfully obvious that she hadn't remembered him.

"I've thought of her every waking moment for over half my life, and she doesn't even remember that day?" Link thought to himself as he envisioned that day long ago. He had been a young upstart who had just lost his family to an illness and had nowhere to go. He took his father's sword and began to live in the mountains, fending for himself. After about a year, he had become almost like a barbarian, living like a beast in the forest filled mountain he called his home. Due to his strange new upbringing, he was becoming big, and it seemed that his strength at even such a young age would be enough to defeat most adult Hylians.

"Link!" a voice shouted out and broke his thoughts as he glanced around. A line of people was pouring into the castle and a young girl was running up to him.

"Arielle, what's going on?" Link asked, as her grandfather began to walk towards them as well.

"Battles are about to start, so they told us to hide in the basement of the castle," she stated in such a voice that it seemed she didn't know the severity of the situation.

"Come along, both of you…" the old man trailed off as he turned around to go into the castle.

"I won't be going with you," Link stated as his eyes wondered away from them.

"What do you mean?" Arielle asked with a look of absolute dread on her face.

"I'm going to be fighting in the battle," Link asked explained to her, as tears began to fill her eyes.

"I'm sorry…" Link trailed off as he patted her on the head and turned to walk away.

"Will he be okay, grandpa?" she asked, suppressing a sob.

"If anyone will be okay, it's that young man…" the old man trailed off as he picked up his grand daughter. Behind them, Link walked towards the North, and his destiny.


	6. Ripping Open The Heavens

Disclaimer: I don't own Nintendo or anything involving Legend of Zelda, but I am attempting to write a story about things that involve them for entertainment purposes only. Not for the money thing. That's bad.

It Won't Stop Running Down My Hand

Facing the North, Link glared at a huge mass of figures quickly coming towards him. It would take them a few more minutes to get there at their present rate of speed. Link's cocky attitude was gone now, as truth began to consume him.

"I'm good, but I'm in over my head now," he spoke to himself, as if he would talk back.

"She doesn't even remember me though, so what's the point?" he asked himself as a slight pain began to surge in his left hand. Looking down at it, blood was pouring out of his palm and making a puddle on the ground beneath him. It was only a puddle he could see, but he still knew it was there.

"If I was truly destined to meet up with her, and have her remember me, then I'll survive this battle…" he trailed off as the crowd of figures began to get much closer. In the army were bipedal lizards, skeletons and bipedal wolf creatures. All of them wore armor and carried swords, shields and spears.

"Has Princess Zelda become so stupid as to send one boy to stand against us?" a large wolf in golden armor with a long spear stepped forward and mocked Link. The boy in green did not bother to respond to this though, as he gripped the hilt of his full blade, 'Death.'

"Stand aside boy, or we'll kill you!" a random shout that sounded almost reptilian came from the crowd, which had now surrounded Link.

"If you want to kill me, then go ahead and try!" Link screamed as he brought 'Death' crashing down on the large wolf in gold armor, splitting him in two. Blood sprayed into the air and struck Link's youthful face. Raising his sword into the air and glaring at the army, he let a smile creep across his face.

"If you're going to try and kill me though, I'll have to kill you!" Link shouted with a look of rage plastered unto his face. The monstrous soldiers who surrounded him took a step back in fear.

"Look at that face! Did Hyrule make a pact with the devil?" a fearful wolf trembled to a larger skeleton. Without waiting another moment, Link dove into the crowd, swinging his humongous full blade at a large number of them, cleaving them all into two. Blood sprayed out of their bodies into the air and unto Link, drenching him from head to toe.

"A demon! Hyrule has a demon!" he heard a shout come from another crowd. Looking down at his hand, blood was erupting out of his hand like a waterfall.

"A demon, huh? I kind of like the sound of that…" he smirked and trailed off, diving at another group of monsters, cleaving them to pieces.

Hours later, Link was still rushing around, chopping his enemies to pieces. Very few of his enemies actually posed a threat to him and 'Death,' as he rarely ran into an enemy that could defend against his full blade as it slammed into them.

"One hundred and thirty seven!" Link thought to himself as he cleaved past another group of enemies and dove into another. For all his life, when Link would get into battles he would count the number of people or creatures he killed. He didn't do this so much as to feel confident, but to give himself something to work on. As he destroyed another group of enemies, he began to run off after another set, when something caught his attention. A strange bird like creature was floating in the air near him, laughing.

"What the hell are you?" Link asked the fowl, only to have it respond by throwing a large ball of fire at him. Barely dodging the blast, Link jumped aside and then dove at the bird, which he now figured as a Wizrobe, since it controlled magic.

"Let's see you try that again!" he screamed as he brought his full blade down on the Wizrobe. Only, instead of cleaving it into two, it merely disappeared. Before he could even look around, Link felt a sharp point dig into his flesh that felt incredibly cold. Looking behind him, he now saw another Wizrobe laughing and then disappear. Growing angry, and feeling blood drip down his back underneath his tunic, Link began to think of things he could possibly do to change his disadvantage. Then, before he could even formulate a full plan, a group of five Wizrobes appeared in front of Link, each shooting a fireball at him. Not having the space to dodge, Link threw his sword up in an attempt to either block the magic or reflect it somewhere else. The orbs of fire struck the blade, but rather then bounce off or consume Link altogether, the sword merely absorbed the heat, making it excruciatingly hot. Throwing his blade aside and nursing his now burnt hand, the monsters which had kept their distance began to laugh and shout.

"Not so good without your big sword, are you?" they all giggled with delight and began to slowly move towards the boy in green.

"No, not like my nightmare…" Link trailed off as he then glanced down at his hand. The blood seemed to stop flowing out of his palm for a moment, and then as Link looked closer the blood exploded out his hand, drenching his face. Letting out an incredible scream of terror, Link grasped at his only other weapon, his long sword. Grabbing it from his side, he pulled it out along with his shield and raised the blade into the air. Light swirled around his sword as the Triforce began to glow a bright yellow on the hilt of his long sword. Looking down, he could see that the Triforce on his left hand was now also shining. The swirling light that surrounded his blade now erupted out of the tip of his sword and flew through the air, lighting up the blood red sky that had began to lower the morale of everyone in Hyrule.

"The blade of evil's bane!" a cry from one of the Wizrobes caught his attention.

"The master sword!" another shouted in absolute horror.

"Only the bearer of Courage can wield it though! We must retreat!" the first Wizrobe screamed as he began to flee. In the blink of an eye though, he diced in half by a thin beam of light. As all the other creatures turned back, they saw the blood drenched hero of courage smile.

"None of you will leave here alive…" he sneered as he tightened his blood-drenched grip on his sword and dove at a group of monsters.

Slowly walking back to the castle, Link was completely exhausted. Tears and rips were all along his tunic, with scratches and cuts all across his flesh. It had been a long battle, as the moon was now high in the sky. Off in the distance, Link could swear he still heard another battle just ending in victory, as he heard many young men's shouts of triumph. On his back was his full blade and shield, which weighed him down considerably. At his side in it's sheath was his master sword.

"Who knew that such a thing could exist?" he sighed as he came to the northern gates of the castle.

"Three hundred and seventy two. That's a new record for me…" he trailed off as he knocked on the large wooden gates. Waiting for a few minutes, and receiving no reply, he couldn't stand up any longer. His cuts and gashes weren't fatal, but they still bled, so there was a possibility that through all his battles he would merely die of blood loss. Sitting down against a stone wall, which hardly seemed comfortable, he held his hand on his master sword and closed his eyes.

"I hope Arielle and the old man are okay," he spoke to himself, hardly realizing he was speaking out loud. Opening his eyes, he could see the bodies of hundreds of monsters and beasts.

"Not a single one escaped the battle alive, so at least they won't be coming back anytime soon…" he said to himself.

"At least, I don't think they did…" he trailed off again. He could feel his eyes growing heavy and his body aching for rest.

"I don't even have the strength to bandage myself up, let alone to fight anything that may have survived," Link told himself, as if attempting to make himself feel less lonely in the sea of bodies.

"Zelda, I survived this battle, so that means I'll make you remember me!" he forcefully spoke aloud. As he spoke his words, he could feel himself going unconscious,

"Even if it kills me…"

Author's Note: Sorry it took so long to get this chapter up, but when I did it the first time my computer froze before saving it. I hope my second draft of it is better then the first, and I'm glad so many people are enjoying my fanfic. Thanks everyone!


	7. Opening The Devil's Heart

Disclaimer: I don't own Nintendo or anything involving Legend of Zelda, but I am attempting to write a story about things that involve them for entertainment purposes only. Not for the money thing. That's bad.

It Won't Stop Running Down My Hand

Eternal darkness blotted out Link's vision, as he could feel himself floating within the vast nothingness. He could feel nothing on himself, or even his own body. It was as if his mind had faded away.

"I can't even move my own arms and legs," Link thought aloud, only he heard no sound escape his mouth.

"I can't even feel the vibrations in my mouth as I speak," he thought again, eliciting no sound. Then suddenly, as he began to assume he would spend the rest of eternity feeling this way, a flash of bright light erupted into his eyes. Letting out a moan, he closed his eyes tight.

"What is this?" he heard a ragged whisper come from his throat as he attempted to move his body. Vaguely feeling his hands as he attempted to clench them into fists, his senses began to flood back into his mind. With his newfound feelings though, he began to experience a feeling that most could do without.

"It hurts so bad…" Link trailed off, as he could feel his entire body hurting, along with the vibration in his throat.

"Is this Hell? Have I defeated that army of beasts, only to die of blood loss?" Link mumbled to himself, as he slowly began to open his eyes to the bright world that lie before him. What lie before him however, was hardly any Hell, but it was close. The sick or dying bodies of countless young men filled the room that Link was in. While Link and a few others were on beds, most of the young men were merely lying on the ground or sitting against walls. Realizing that the battle was over, and he somehow lived, Link looked down at himself to see that his body had bandages all over it. Lying next to his bed was his tunic, swords and gear.

"I lived?" he questioned to nobody in particular, however an answer came back to him.

"You sure did, boy!" a gruff and elder voice shouted to his left. With a look of surprise in his eyes, Link looked over at the voice. Finding the smiling face of an older man with jet-black hair and a rough face with a beard was hardly what Link expected to see.

"The doctors here just couldn't let the 'Army Slayer' die on us, eh?" the older man questioned with a look of arrogance on his face.

"Army slayer? What do you mean?" Link's fragile voice asked the old man, who for some reason found it funny, since he began to laugh after he asked the question.

"Modest boy, aren't you?" he asked the confused young man. Link was far too exhausted and weak to bother playing games with this soldier who was old enough to be his father.

"What's your name, boy?" asked the older man.

"Link…" he trailed off with a soft voice.

"Link, huh? Well my name is Kastu," he smiled with a look on his face, which showed his years of experience. Link, for some reason, felt calmed by this older man who was showing such kindness to him.

"Three hundred and seventy two, huh?" Link asked himself as he turned his head to look up at the ceiling. Voices echoed around him, but he didn't bother to acknowledge them. As he stared up at the plain colored ceiling, he could feel his eyelids growing heavy, forcing themselves down over his eyes, and blacking out his world.

Opening his eyes again, Link could see a large town stretch out before him. The familiar town had wide stone roads with small houses along them. This town depicted a typical settlement that wasn't involved with wars or groups of bandits. The children and even the elderly walked without a care in the world. However, there was one thing that they seemed to avoid, a rather large young boy, sitting in the middle of town, devouring some sort of small animal. With a large frame, dirty blonde hair, piercing blue eyes, blood smeared across his face, and muscle mass that seemed to hide his young age, this child appeared to be some kind of monster. As Link walked a little closer, realization struck him, as his eyes grew wide.

"That's me!" he thought grimly, as he looked around at the villagers that passed by. No matter who it was, each villager passed by him, like he wasn't there.

"Mommy, why is the devil in town?" a small child asked his mother who tightly held his hand as they passed by the young version of Link.

"I wonder why that filthy little beast is even here," a rough man asked a shopkeeper, who was staring at the young Link. Everyone who saw him, stared with morbid fascination, as the boy pressed his face into the carcass of the animal he had recently caught. Suddenly, a gasp was heard in the crowd, and they ceased whispering. The young Link looked up from his kill, to see a small girl stand before him. She was about his age, with golden blonde hair that showed she bathed regularly and emerald green eyes that shined in the light. She wore a beautifully regal dress, which was colored with very bright pinks and purples, and on her neck was a necklace of a golden triangle. No words were spoken between the two of them, as they locked eyes and stared at each other. Link could feel his face growing red under her stare, as if she was looking into his soul. Finally, a smile appeared on the young girl's face, and young Link couldn't help but return one, himself.

"This is what happened, all those years ago," the normal Link spoke to himself aloud. Before normal Link could even contemplate his feelings, a commotion began around his young self.

"Stay away from that little girl, you demon!" an old voice cried out as it rushed towards young Link. Before the old woman could take a step closer, Link had grasped at sword that lie to his side, raised it in the air, and prepared to bring it down on stop of the old woman's head.

"Don't do it!" a cry shot out through the confusion, stopping Link's sword from finding it's target. The point that the blade stopped at couldn't have been any closer, as it nearly touched the old woman' neck. Silence once again registered in the town, as everyone realized that Link had listened to the little girl, and spared the old woman.

"Why would you want to kill someone?" the little girl asked the young Link, with tears filling her eyes. Young Link could only stare at her with wide eyes, unable to speak. A guilty expression covered his face as he suddenly realized what he must do. In the mountains, when he was faced with something he could not defeat, he would run away in the hopes he could defeat it another day. As adrenaline was pumped through his body, he forced all the strength he had into his legs, and he bolted off with his sword, towards the mountain. The only thing he left behind was his nearly finished off food, and the tears that ran down the young girl's face.

"But… It doesn't end here; there was one more thing I did, which would eventually alter my life forever…" adult Link trailed off, as he felt his world turn black. When his world came back into view, he could see his young version, sword in hand, standing by a tree with blood on his small green tunic. Hugging him and crying, was the same girl as before. At their feet was a dirty looking man, with a slash across his back.

"I'm sorry…" young Link trailed off, now releasing his grip on his sword and hugging her back. After a few minutes, they stepped away from each other, red in the face.

"It's okay, since he was bad. I don't think I could ever like someone who kills good people," she stated to the young version of Link, who suddenly became thoughtful.

"I'm afraid I have to leave for home soon, but I want you to have this," she began, as she took her necklace off and gave it to Link. The golden triangle seemed to shine in his hands, surprising them both.

"It seems like it likes you," she smiled to Link as he stared at her, unsure of what to say.

"Nobody has ever given me anything…" he trailed off, still staring at her.

"It's a gift, showing that we'll always be friends!" she cheerfully laughed.

"Thank you…" Link softly said, wishing he had something to give to her. All he had were the clothes on his back and his sword. He had nothing that could possibly compare to such a wonderful necklace like the one Link now held in his left hand. As he gazed at the present, he could feel a presence leaving him. Looking up, he saw the girl walking away from him and his existence.

"Tell me, where do you live?" Link shouted to her, desperate for her to stay with him even a few more moments.

The castle town of Hyrule," she smiled to him one last time and then waved goodbye. Link was positive that if he didn't leave, he would never see her again.

"It seems so strange that I was instantly taken with her," adult Link spoke aloud, but it seemed that his voice could only be heard by himself and not his youthful self.

"She was the only person who had smiled at me, and opened her heart to me, since mother and father had died…" Link trailed off, remembering things that he had long since buried.

"She looked the real me, the primal and rage filled me, right in the eyes and smiled. She didn't think I was a devil at all…" Link looked over to his young self, to see him walking away.

"I held unto that necklace so tight that night, but in the morning I still lost it," he began, only too look down at the ground, "like everything else in my life…"

The flashbacks that filled his senses then washed away, as a bright morning light crept over his body. Opening his eyes, he could see sunlight streaming through the window, as the sky seemed a beautiful blue color.

"As long as it isn't red," Link smiled to himself out loud, feeling better. As he spoke this, he realized that young men no longer surrounded him and that he was the only person in the room now. Stepping out of bed, and putting his gear on over his bandaged body, he stepped out of the room, only to see the surprised face of a small female nurse.

"I'm awake now," Link smirked at the tiny woman, deciding she was shocked that he was out of bed so soon. Of course, she only seemed so petite because she was standing next to Link, who was a monster among Hylians.

"It's about time, it's been two days now…" she trailed off and then stood up and motioned for Link to follow her. Suddenly Link's confidence slipped away, realizing that his cocky smile must have looked dumb.

"Where are you taking me?" Link asked the nurse, who had been walking him around through castle corridors.

"To see her royal majesty, Princess Zelda…" she smiled, glancing back at the handsome Hylian that walked behind her in green.

Author's Notes: I told myself that I would try not to ramble on and on, because people tend to like the stories, and not the notes that the author throws in. I just wanted to say thanks to two people, (well maybe three,) for their special reviews. "Some Guy" gave me my first review that wasn't just praise. It may seem like he told me lots of problems, but his constructive criticism was further proof that I still need practice. My only thing to say to you "Some Guy" is to just be patient, as everything will be revealed in due time. The other review, which could be considered to be from two people was from Raiyne of Gailin (I think I spelt that right.) It had to be one of the funniest reviews I've ever received. All my reviews are important to me, and make me want to write more, but I wanted to thank these two (or three,) people who put extra thought into them. Thanks again everyone!

Extra Author's Notes: In the review by Raiyne of Gailin, I had never before heard the phrase "Linkie Torture," which I find very funny. Thanks!

Extra Extra Author's Notes: Any questions or comments that I don't get to in the story, will be covered in my final author's notes.

Extra Extra Extra Author's Notes: Ha, and I said I wouldn't ramble…


	8. Decisions After Waking

Disclaimer: I don't own Nintendo or anything involving Legend of Zelda, but I am attempting to write a story about things that involve them for entertainment purposes only. Not for the money thing. That's bad.

It Won't Stop Running Down My Hand

Walking down hallway after passage after corridor, Link and the nurse who guided him began to grow closer to Princess Zelda's chambers. While Link wore his typical green tunic and carried his swords and gear with him, his nurse wore only a white dress and carried a small amount of first aid equipment. Link was surprised that the nurse seemed so unconcerned about Link's large frame. Normally people would either gawk at him, or go out of their way to avoid him.

"So I'm really being taken to see Princess Zelda?" Link asked her again, for the third time.

"Yes, you are," she sighed in frustration.

"Sorry, it's just that I've waited a long time to actually meet with her…" Link trailed off in his soft voice, sounding almost sad.

"Don't worry about it, after all, not many people can tell her that they saved Hyrule," the nurse smiled with her back turned to Link.

"What do you mean?" he asked, truly confused.

"The whole castle knows what you did, taking on that army alone. Actually winning too!" she laughed, attempting to brighten Link's dreary mood.

"Army Slayer, eh?" he thought aloud. Thinking back to the battle, if he hadn't had the Master Sword, he would probably have been slaughtered by those monstrous soldiers. After a few more minutes of walking in silence, they finally reached a large set of double doors.

"This is the place," she nonchalantly said, opening the door and stepping aside for him to enter. As he stepped inside of the room, the doors slammed shut and he found himself in front of a long desk. Behind the desk, were some random people who were old enough to be grandparents or even great grandparents. Sitting at the head of everything though was Princess Zelda and General Sifrak.

"Please be seated, Mr. Link," a random sagely voice called out to him. In front of the desk was a single chair, which seemed rather uncomfortable. Link glanced around, unable to tell what the 'council's' feelings were about him. Even Princess Zelda had an indifferent look on her face. After a moment of glancing around the room, he decided it would be best to sit down.

"Are you comfortable, Mr. Link?" a random elderly voice asked, but Link didn't bother to respond. While the old men and the Princess had cushy and comfortable chairs, Link was stuck in a chair that was more suited to convicts. Looking around the room, it seemed the only exit was from the door he came in, unless he counted the large stain glass window that lay behind Zelda and Sifrak. An image of a castle on a mountain was stained into the glass, giving the room a look of elegance.

"To the tell the truth, Mr. Link, most of us in this council of Hyrule would very much like for you to leave this place and never return," General Sifrak's voice boomed out, filling the room. Link could only stare in horror at the General.

"The Princess seems to think you're some great hero, protecting the kingdom and what-not…" Sifrak trailed off.

"Frankly, from what our scouts reported, you're more demon then man…" an old voice finished, from the left of Sifrak.

"Demon…?" Link questioned aloud, memories of the past resurfacing. Terrible voices from the past began to rush into his mind, filling him with horror.

"Filthy little bastard!"

"Leave that boy alone dear, he's cursed."

"Devil! Go back to the pits of Hell!"

"He's scary mommy!"

"Please, don't kill me!"

Suddenly, a memory Zelda as a child smiling at him burst into his mind, causing Link to stand up and throw his chair aside and point at the beautiful princess.

"What about you!? Do you think I'm a devil now!?" he shrieked, causing everyone in the room to stare at him with confused expressions. Heat rushed into his face as he realized what he did, so he picked his chair back up and sat down once again.

"No Link, only myself and one other member of the council wishes for you to stay…" she trailed off in a voice, which reminded Link of birds singing.

"Who's this other person?" Link asked, glancing around the room. Suddenly, the doors burst open behind him and a familiar voice rang out,

"Sorry I'm late!"

"It's about time you showed up, Kastu…" Sifrak impatiently remarked. Turning his head to see the man, Link saw the man from before, who was injured.

"Good to see you again, eh buddy?" Kastu smiled with delight, as he walked over to the desk. Link sat there staring at him, speechless.

"Then I see you already met the other council member who wishes for you to stay," Zelda smiled as Kastu sat down in a chair near her.

"You want me to stay too, Kastu?" Link asked in a soft voice towards the older man he met a few days before.

"Sure thing, after all, you're the Army Slayer!" he laughed out loud, ruining the sterile mood the council had begun in.

"Princess Zelda has the final say in the matter, unless you decide to leave of your own free will. Which the majority of the council recommends," Sifrak spoke in a cold voice, obviously wishing Link would just leave.

"Well Link, what's your answer?" Zelda asked in a soothing voice.

"For someone like me, it might be best to stay away from people," Link began in a serious voice, "however, no matter what I do or where I go, I'll never be able to forget."

"So…" an old voice questioned from the side.

"So I'll be staying," Link smirked at the group of men who had come to dislike him.

"Very well then, in the meantime you must tell us who your master was," Sifrak questioned.

"My master?" Link inquired in a confused voice.

"That's right, if you're not a demon, where did you learn to fight like one?" an old voice asked.

"Surely you took lessons from the Prince of Darkness?" another elderly voice inquired. After a few moments of silence as the council waited for an answer, Link scratched the back of his head.

"Do you mean a teacher of fighting?" Link asked, unsure of himself.

"Of course we do!" Sifrak shouted out.

"Well, I guess I'm my own master then…" Link trailed off as the council stared at him intently. As the council exchanged glances, Link began to grow nervous.

"Very well then, your task while in this castle will be to teach new soldiers your fighting style. Is that clear?" Sifrak demanded in a loud voice.

"Yes sir," Link answered in a soft voice. At this, nearly the entire council left the room except for Zelda, Sifrak and Kastu. Surely the odds were much better now, instead of being attacked by a large group of old men.

"Beware, boy. I've got my eyes on you!" Sifrak huffed and then left with his chest expanded, like he was trying to make himself look much bigger the he actually was. A smile crept across Link's face as he realized that frightened animals tended to do such things.

"Well, I have things to do in the Barracks, so I'll leave you two to discuss things…" Kastu trailed off as he headed for the door. Before leaving though, he walked up to Link and moved towards his ear to whisper.

"Be careful of whose name you speak in your sleep," he smirked and then left the room, not seeing how red Link's face had become.

"Shall we go and have lunch?" the Princess asked Link, as he prayed she wouldn't notice his blush from before.

"That would be great…" Link trailed off with a smile on his face. Finally, he was getting so close to what he desired.

"Over lunch, we can tell stories about ourselves and then maybe you can tell me how Kastu could get your face so red?" she gave a sly smile as Link could feel his face grow warm once again.


	9. Guarding The Most Beautiful Of Bodies

Disclaimer: I don't own Nintendo or anything involving Legend of Zelda, but I am attempting to write a story about things that involve them for entertainment purposes only. Not for the money thing. That's bad.

It Won't Stop Running Down My Hand

In a large, brown colored horse drawn carriage, comfortably sat a young man and woman with golden blonde hair. Although their form of clothing was both very different, since the woman wore a beautiful dress and the man wore an aging green tunic, they still looked very regal. While the man looked handsome with his clean-shaven, smooth face and bright blue eyes, the woman looked very gorgeous with her long hair, shining jade eyes and unblemished face.

"Thank you again, for allowing me to clean myself up before lunch," Link softly spoke with his eyes fixed on his feet, unable to look up at her. Zelda only smiled at his bashful behavior.

"I still don't think it's right for you to pay though," Link said as the driver of the carriage made a slight turn, avoiding a bump in the dirt road that they traveled on.

"Link, its part of my thanks to you for saving my kingdom…" she trailed off, becoming annoyed that he continued to bring such a thing up. As they sat in silence for a few more moments, Link could feel his eyes rising up to look at her.

"I shouldn't be thinking of such things with her, she's far to pure to even imagine in such a way…" Link trailed off in his own head, as he began to imagine them both making love.

"I can't get her out of my head," he nearly whispered aloud, as his feelings, among other things, began to grow more intense.

"So what was it, that Kastu said to make you become so embarrassed?" she suddenly asked him out of the blue. After she decided to take him into town for lunch and gave him time to clean up, he had hoped she forgot about it.

"Oh, he was just teasing me," Link stated, finally looking up at her, unable to avoid her beautiful eyes anymore.

"About what?" she asked in an innocent tone, but Link knew better. He may have been naïve on the subject of women, but he could see a sly look in her eyes. A look that almost made him think of a cat playing with a mouse, before it finished him off.

"Well, what was it about?" she asked after a few seconds of silence. Link was too busy being afraid to respond though, having compared her to a cat playing with its meal. After another few seconds of silence, neither willing to break it, the carriage slowed to a stop.

"We're here, your majesty," the drivers voice called from the front of the carriage. Zelda then stood up and went for the door, only to turn back to Link with a smile across her face.

"Coming?" she asked in a polite manner. He could only smile and nod at her.

Walking off of the carriage, they seemed to be in the middle of the town square, with people rushing around them, saying hello the Princess and continuing along their way, as if she was constantly coming and going into town.

"Perhaps what I've heard of royalty being cut off from their kingdoms is untrue," Link thought to himself, as he followed her around as she walked towards a large building which was likely the restaurant she spoke of earlier.

"Your majesty, you simply must see my sister's newborn child!" a very happy voice called out to Zelda, who stopped in her tracks and smiled.

"Link, you don't mind waiting for a moment, do you?" she asked him in a polite way.

"Not at all, I'll just wait around here," he spoke in his soft voice causing the lady with a happy voice to giggle at such a well-mannered young man. They both left into a home nearby, leaving Link to himself. Looking around the town square, he saw groups of people purchasing goods and talking in a joyful fashion. It was almost as if his brush with death never happened. Suddenly, shouts from nearby alerted him to trouble.

"You're trying to rip me off, old man!" a disgruntled voice rang out in Link's ears as he headed towards the source of the problems. Standing in front of a familiar carriage filled with goods was an old man and his grand daughter.

"Please sir, don't say such things. I would never try to cheat you," the old man stuttered out, afraid of the crowd of men now surrounding his cart. Just as one of the rough looking men reached out to grab him, he felt a strong hand grasp into his shoulder. Turning around to see the angry blue eyes of a young man in blonde hair, he stepped away from him, only to glare back.

"What do you have to do with this, huh?" the angry man yelled at Link.

"They're with me," Link merely said, standing proud and tall against the small group of men. Just as the rough man was going to yell at Link, a group of guards turned around a corner, no doubt having heard the commotion.

"It's him!" one of the guards shrieked in hysterics, as everyone turned around to meet his terrified gaze, which was locked directly on Link.

"It's the Army Slayer!" he screamed, slowly backing away from the inevitable fight that was going to break out.

"That's him? The guy who took out the northern division of Mandrag Ganon's army?" his partner fearfully asked him, but not backing away. As the group of angry men looked back from the soldiers to Link, they found that he was still intently staring at them. To Link, when a threat arouse, he would do everything in his power to focus on the enemy, or enemies as the case may be, so that he would be ready for anything they tried. The group of men quickly backed away from him though, when they noticed the look of intensity he was giving them.

"His eyes look like a devil's!" one of them shouted, as they scattered and ran off. Even the soldiers, turned away and left him in the middle of town square, rumors flying around that he was responsible for destroying an entire army. Turning to look at Arielle and the old man, he still had a look of ferocity in his eyes, which seemed to take the elderly man by surprise. Arielle however, hardly seemed disturbed by such a thing and walked over to him and rose in arms up to the sky.

"Thank you Link," she smiled, as she walked over to him and symbolized she wanted a hug by moving her arms around until Link picked her up.

"Is it true boy? Did you really defeat an entire army?" the sagely merchant asked Link who bobbed his head up and down, wordlessly saying 'yes.'

"Wow, you're a hero!" Arielle smiled at him as he gave a soft smile back.

"To see such a thing… It would have been incredible to watch your plight from afar," the old man spoke in a voice that seemed to almost be far away. Before anyone else spoke another word, he could feel a familiar presence coming closer towards him. Turning around, he saw the smiling face of Princess Zelda.

"Link, is this your family?" Zelda asked in sincere way. The old man and Arielle could only stare at them both in shock. The young man they had just met recently was already on friendly terms with the Princess who controlled their kingdom.

"My family?" Link asked, confused for only a second. He turned to look at the old man who's name he had yet to learn and the young girl named Arielle who at first was very rude to him, but then would have sacrificed her life to let him live.

"If I had a family, they would be it," he smiled warmly at Zelda who merely let a smirk slide across her face. Upon hearing this, Arielle showed all her teeth in a rare smile and buried her face in Link's shoulder. After a few moments of Arielle hugging Link, he carefully set her on the ground near her grand father.

"It would be an honor to have a hero like Link's family come along with us to lunch then," Zelda smiled at the elderly man and Arielle. Before Arielle could begin to make a big deal of it though, the old man stepped forward.

"It would be an incredible honor your majesty, but we have already eaten. So could we try to have lunch another day? All four of us?"

"That would be delightful," Zelda smiled as she glanced at Link, who's smile was even larger then her own.

"We'll talk to you another time then Link," he smiled and winked at the boy as he and the princess began to head towards the restaurant. As they both left, Arielle gave her grand father a stern look.

"You fibbed grandpa, we haven't eaten yet!" she admonished.

"Sometimes small lies can make people happy though…" he trailed off with a smile on his face, watching Link and Zelda head towards the restaurant.

As Zelda walked into the restaurant, followed closely by Link, they were instantly greeted by a man in a nice suit, which showed that this establishment was very classy. Link followed closely behind Zelda, reminding him of chicks following a hen, unsure of what else to do but follow the more experienced mother. Link had been to taverns before, but never before had he been to a place as elegant as this.

"Who is your escort, your majesty?" the person who began greeting them asked with a sly smile.

"This is Link," she stepped aside, so that the greeter could take a good look at him. Looking each other up and down, the older woman who was greeting them smiled at him.

"Very well, we have just the table for you two…" she trailed off with a smirk, and began to lead them through the restaurant. Taking them past tables of crowded people, she finally stopped at a darker and more secluded area of the eating-place.

"There you go, the waiter will be with you in a few minutes," she smiled and walked off. The only table that was around them was a small one with two chairs next to it. Candles that surrounded them illuminated the area around them and single red rose was in a thin vase in the middle of the small table. As the lady who had greeted them began to walk away, Zelda raised her hand out and prepared to call out. Suddenly, Link found that his hand was on top of hers, bringing it down to her side. A faint tinge of blush was creeping along her face as Link looked into her eyes.

"If you don't mind it, I don't mind…" he gently told her, feeling warmth in his face. She said no words but nodded and sat down. For a few minutes an awkward silence hung around them, as they looked at the menus. Link could barely contain the smile that was creeping across his face as he hid behind his menu. From all perspectives, this was practically a date with the girl that had haunted his very being for so many years. Finally, realizing the silence would destroy all that he was working for; he placed the menu down and smiled at her.

"So what should I get?" he asked her, as she began to look up at him.

"The steak here is really nice, I bet you would like it…" she trailed off, glancing back at the menu.

"Isn't steak expensive though?" he asked, sure that he couldn't ask for such a thing.

"Not really," she lied right through her teeth. Link was sure it was expensive, but decided not to press the matter further. After a few minutes of talking about the restaurant and some of it's employees, a man walked up who was obviously the waiter.

"May I take your order, your majesty?" he asked in a very strained voice. To Link, it seemed as if he was nervous or maybe tired.

"I've never seen you before, are you new?" Zelda asked the young man who's body frame suggested he was more suited at being a soldier then a server.

"Why yes, I just started today…" he trailed off with a thin smile on his face. As Zelda told the waiter what she wanted, and even what Link would be having, Link was staring the waiter up and down. There was something unnerving about him, causing Link to feel cautious. Glancing to his right, where he had leaned his swords against the wall while they sat at the table, he began to realize they were further from him then he would have liked.

"Very well your majesty, I will be back with your food in a little while. Enjoy your date," he then bowed and walked towards the kitchen. Had he not left in such a hurry, he would have noticed both of the young adults were blushing uncontrollably.

"Why do you suppose they keep mistaking this for a date?" she asked, as the flush began to fade from her face. Link, who had not cleared his face of warmth, could only shrug his shoulders.

"Anyway, I was curious as to how you became so powerful? How is it that you're able to battle an army, and come out alive?" Zelda asked, with an inquisitive look on her face. At her question, Link's face instantly became serious.

"It's very hard to describe, to tell the truth… You would have to see it to understand," Link stated, as he reached for a glass of water the greeter had left behind and took a sip.

"I'll have to watch as you train some of the new soldiers then," she smiled as Link began to build up enough nerve to ask her a question.

"So tell me, do you do much traveling?" Link asked, praying that she would somehow be reminded of her past with him.

"When I was younger I did, but since my accident and then the battles with Mandrag Ganon, I haven't had the time…" she trailed off with a look of remembrance on her face.

"Accident?" Link asked, with a look of panic on his face.

"Yes, when I was younger I had a horse riding accident and bumped my head," she started, as Link's mouth began to hang open.

"I'm afraid my memories of before then are a little blurry," she finished up, sighing. Realization and a smile struck Link as she finished her story.

"She doesn't remember because of an accident!" his mind shouted at him, as he realized that she didn't just hate him and totally forgot about him of her own free will.

"I have something to tell you," he began as she looked into his crystal blue eyes. As they sat there for a moment, staring at each other's eyes, Link could feel himself melting in her presence. He could feel himself growing red in the cheeks, (and growing in other areas,) as he began to fantasize about making love to her. Just as she was about to open her mouth to ask what it was, a group of people began to come towards the table from a long hallway.

"Our food is here," she said, knocking Link out of his trance. Turning around in his seat, he began to take a good look at the people who interrupted his moment with her. Their waiter and two other waiters were now closing in on the table. On the plate with Link's steak though, something caught his attention.

"A dagger? Why would they need to cut such tender meat with a weapon that can kill a person?" he thought to himself, until it suddenly hit him. The panicky behavior from the waiter, being placed in such a remote area, keeping them distracted by calling their lunch a date, the dagger on the plate… They were planning on killing the princess. Before the waiters could get close enough, Link spun around in his chair to face Zelda and reached for his full blade 'Death.'

"When I say so, hide under the table," he whispered with a look of dread on his face. Had it been anyone else and the expression on his or her face wasn't so alarming, she would have thought it a joke. The waiters then surrounded the Princess with looks of hostility on their faces.

"Did anyone order some revolution?" one of them smirked as he reached for the dagger on the plate. Link had already seen this coming though, and shouted at Zelda to hide. In the blink of an eye, she was under the table and Link had already begun to swing his humongous sword at them. Before any of them realized what was going on, the blade swept right through all three of them without pause, splitting them all in half from the waist across. Under the table, Zelda heard the piercing of air, a spray of liquid and thump. After a few seconds she came out from the table on a different side, only to see that three dead bodies lie on the ground.

"What did you do!?" she shouted, not realizing they were after her life. Link began to feel guilty, since he was now covered in blood, a fearful sight for anyone.

"I said, what did you do!?" she repeated, as Link looked at her. Her face showed no fear though, only a look of anger on her face. Every time that anyone saw Link, covered in blood, they most always compared him to some kind of devil. That, or they would just run away screaming, not bothering to say a thing.

"They're after you're life!" Link stuttered, not wishing to make her angrier then she already was. He then went over to one of the dead bodies and lifted the dagger off him, showing it to her.

"He was preparing to stab you, he even said something about a revolution," Link said as Zelda began to glare at the dagger he was showing her.

"There may be more people in the area, so I've got to get you back to the castle where it's safe…" he trailed off, preparing his weapons.

"I can't believe such a thing would happen here," he said to herself as Link gave her a tiny smile.

"Please, allow me to protect you, my magnificence. Just stay close to me and never leave my side…" somewhere in his heart, he wished that he could continue protecting her for all of eternity.

"You must be an angel sent to Hyrule, Link…" she gave him a slight smile, despite the danger. Link let out a slight gasp as he realized he had never before been compared to such a divine celestial.

Author's Notes: Sorry that took so long, but I also tried to make it longer then usual, since it seems most of you are concerned about it's length above all else. I was nearly tempted to put the fanfic on some sort of hold, since I've thought about what I wanted to do as my next fanfic. After reading through all my reviews though, I realized that I just couldn't do that to those who are interested in my writing. For those of you reading this who are fans of Neon Genesis Evangelion, the next fanfic I do will be based on that. I think it's a nice idea, but I'll only be doing this Zelda one for a while. I'd say I'm about halfway through with writing it. Then again, maybe I'm only a hundredth of the way done, or maybe three quarters of the way done. Who knows? I guess I'll be finished, when I finish…


	10. Never Alone When Together

Disclaimer: I don't own Nintendo or anything involving Legend of Zelda, but I am attempting to write a story about things that involve them for entertainment purposes only. Not for the money thing. That's bad.

It Won't Stop Running Down My Hand

As Link began to walk down the dark hallway, towards the entrance of the restaurant, he suddenly stopped and looked down at his left hand. As Zelda followed after him, she traced his line of sight to his left hand, which Link had now opened up so that his palm was facing him.

"What's the matter? Does your hand hurt?" she whispered to him, but Link hadn't heard her. He was staring at his hand with a look of dread on his face. To him, blood was pouring out of his hand, and dripping down his arm, sending shivers up and down his spine. He could feel the blood beginning to come out as those waiters, who were now dead, came towards their table.

"It will never stop, not until I die," he whispered to himself, as he then griped his full blade 'Death' even tighter and began to walk down the hall. As they entered into the main area, the entire area was abandoned, and only the greeter came out of the kitchen and began to walk towards them in a quick manner.

"What's wrong you two? Why aren't you back there eating?" she asked as she began to move towards Zelda. Just as Zelda began to walk towards her, Link grabbed at the back of her dress, and pulled her back behind him. Just as she was about to question him, Link brought his full blade down, narrowly missing the greeter and slamming it into the ground with a loud crash. In the brief moment of awkward silence that followed, the chefs from the kitchen poured into the room and gasped at the sight of Link with his sword in the ground, followed by the princess.

"What's the meaning of this Link?" Zelda asked with an angry tone of voice.

"Nobody goes near Princess Zelda while I'm on guard duty, got it?" he directed at the greeter in a harsh voice who didn't acknowledge what he said.

"Now back off, before I slice you in two!" he shouted at her in a stern manner, as she took a few steps away from his sword. Silence lingered in the room as Link looked to Zelda and nodded at her to follow him. Just as they were about to reach the door though, one of the younger chefs darted at them with some type of cooking knife. Time seemed to slow down as the boy dove at Link and Zelda, and in the brief moment of time, Link began to contemplate what to do. The boy's messy brown hair and bright blue eyes vaguely depicted a young man who had truly yet to live, he was probably no more then sixteen years of age. It seemed like a tragedy for him to lose his life for something so silly as a needless revolution, or whatever other reasons you could have for trying to kill the princess of a prospering kingdom. Just as the boy was nearing them though, Link let go of his sword, letting it fall towards the ground and he grabbed the boy's hand, which held the knife, stopping him dead in his tracks.

"Let go!" the boy shrieked in anger, as he began to pull on his knife, attempting to dislodge it from the stone that was Link. As the boy cried out in frustration, Zelda took a step toward the boy.

"Why do you wish for a revolution?" she asked sternly, with a sense of dignity to the boy.

"For Mandrag Ganon! Hail Ganondorf Dragmire!" he screamed as Link finally let go of the boy, letting him fall backwards to the ground. In the span of but a moment, Link picked up his full blade, and sent it down on top of the young man, splitting him in two, from his right shoulder all the way down to his thigh. One last cry escaped his lips as blood splattered unto the ground around the body and on to Link's brown boots. Looking up at the greeter and the rest of the chefs, he glared.

"Any of you who have thrown their lot in with Mandrag Ganon, and betrayed your nation of Hyrule, had might as well come forward and say hello to 'Death!'" he shouted at the group. Understandably, they merely stared at Link and muttered amongst themselves that Hyrule must have made a pact with the devil.

"Come your majesty, I must get you to a safe haven…" Link trailed off, tired of being called a demon. Stepping outside first, Link glanced around, and began to get strange looks from the people who were in the area. Stepping out of a restaurant, after hearing screaming, is a young man with blood dripping from him and his sword, followed by their Princess, who only seemed a bit angry.

"Princess Zelda!" a soldier shouted as he began to run at them.

"Don't come near me!" she shrieked, as he came to a stop with a questioning look on his face.

"Someone is trying to start a revolution! Alert the other guards to find the traitors, and tell everyone to not come near me! Link has specific instructions to kill anyone who comes at us," she stated as most of the townspeople fled the area. Another group of soldiers began to walk towards them, while one stayed back with a crossbow.

"Princess, we must speak with you," the group said with faces that forced smiles.

"Don't come near us, or he _will_ kill you…" she trailed off.

"I have nothing to fear from him," he began with a smirk, as he took a step closer to them. In that moment, the full blade Link had was already in mid swing, and soldier's head rolled off his body and hit the ground with a sickening spat. As the few other soldiers attempted to rush at Link, he merely curved the arc of his blade in mid swing, so that he wouldn't have to stop and re-swing. The blade merely applied its momentum in a different angle, slicing open the bellies of the two other soldiers who dared to disobey their majesty. Their intestines poured out of their bodies as they attempted to force them back in with shocked faces in the last few seconds of their existence.

"How can you tell that they were part of the revolution!?" she shouted, angry that her own soldier's were being killed. Looking at his left hand, with seemingly nothing on it, he looked back up at her.

"Trust me, I know…" he trailed off, knowing that only he could see the increase of blood flow coming out of his left palm.

Suddenly, before Link or Zelda could say anything else, Link saw out of the corner of his eye the soldier with the crossbow, aiming his weapon at Zelda.

"Look out!" Link screamed as he jumped in front of her, only to have the bolt fly into his upper right arm. Sinking deep into his flesh, he let out a ghastly roar of pain, as he let go of the heavy full blade and pulled out his long sword, the Master Sword. Diving at the turncoat with a sense of blood lust, he swung his blade across the man's wrists, dicing off both of his hands.

"Bastard!" the soldier screeched as he fell to the ground, with blood oozing out of his stumps.

"Son of a bitch!" the soldier shrieked as Link stabbed his master sword into the traitor's face, silencing him. He then turned around to start stumbling back towards Zelda, only to find that she was darting towards him with a look of distress on her face.

"We have to get you some help," she whispered, softly patting his back, trying to cheer him up.

"Later, first we have to get you to the castle," Link mumbled, standing up tall.

"We can get a ride in the carriage," she said, but before she could move much further, Link stepped in front of her and started shaking his head.

"Too risky, it could be booby trapped," he told her, starting to walk towards the castle with Zelda following him.

"You need to get some rest though, we should really take the carriage," she pressed but Link wouldn't agree to such a hazardous thing. The castle was up on top of a large kill, over looking the rest of the town. It was no more then a half-mile trail, but all along it, were patches of trees, where people could easily lay in wait. Link wished he knew the area better, to find some kind of secret route, but it couldn't be helped. Glancing back, he saw that Zelda was fixated on his wound, which even as they walked was dripping blood.

"Now that I think about it, I don't think I've ever been hit with a bolt or arrow like this before," he thought to himself. With his style of combat, he had learned to either use his large weapon to keep opponents far enough away so that they couldn't get close enough to hit him, or use his long sword to quickly get in next to them, not giving them enough time to attack. That was how he had survived all those battles, now that he actually thought about it. In all of his years of battle though, nobody had used long-range weapons on him really, except when he was trying to make a quick getaway.

"Now that some of my own soldiers are in on the revolution, I guess it's more of a coup d'etat, right?" she asked Link with a forlorn look on her face. Suddenly, Link realized what Zelda was hinting at, that the castle might not be as safe as he thought.

"You think some of your council might have planned this?" Link asked, stopping while they were about half way down the trail.

"They don't like my fresh young mind which isn't as easy to control as my father's was…" she trailed off with a sad look on her face. Before Link could even question what she meant, the sound of a horse trotting across dirt came into their ears, along with the noise of wheels moving at a fair speed. Both of their heads darted back to see a horse drawn carriage moving along the trail, although it was too far away to see who could be driving it, only that two smaller figures were in the front of it.

"We should hide!" Zelda quickly said and began to run into a patch of forest, only to feel the back of her dress be pulled on by Link. Before she could question him though, she turned to see that he was smiling while looking at his up turned left palm again.

"There's nothing to fear from whoever these people are," Link calmly stated while looking at his left hand, which had no blood flowing from it. After a minute or so, standing to the side of the road in silence, they waited for the carriage to come to them.

"Link! Your arm!?" came the shrill cry of Arielle as she and her Grandpa came closer to the young duo. Link had begun to forget about the pain as he walked, but the arrow was still lodged in his arm to make sure the blood didn't pour forth once pulled out without any bandages.

"Quickly my son, go around back and get into the carriage!" he nearly shouted in his old voice, as Arielle was already going through the front of the carriage near where she sat and began to get bandages ready. As Zelda helped Link into the carriage, the old man began to turn them around and go into the other direction. Helping Link sit down so that Arielle could help him, she glanced up to see the deep brown eyes of the young girl giving her a jealous glare.

"How did you get yourself into this mess?" Arielle said as her eyes softened and she quickly turned away from Zelda to begin scolding Link for getting such an injury, even after he defeated an army.

"Sorry, I must have been careless…" Link trailed off with a small smile tugging on the side of his lips. After reprimanding him for another few moments, she finished pulling the arrow out and dressing his would which had been pouring out more blood.

"Why are you taking us away from the castle, sir?" Zelda asked the old man, now that she was sure Link was okay.

"Battles have erupted all over town and are beginning to move towards the castle," the old man gravely said as Zelda's eyes widened.

"Why? What's going on?" she asked with concern.

"Seems as if this revolution is bearing towards the place you were last seen going," the old man said as the carriage pulled off the trail and into the town.

"The only way they can take full control though, is to kill the current royal family member," Zelda began with a grim face,

"which is me…" she trailed off as Link began to formulate a plan of action.

"Don't even think about it!" Arielle yelled at Link, who snapped out of his thoughts with a surprised look on his face.

"No going off to the rescue yet! Not while you have a serious wound!" she yelled some more, as Link wondered if he was truly that obvious.

"The best thing you two can do is lay low for a while, outside of town," the old man sagely remarked as he began to head down a street, which had no fights in it. Just as they turned down the street, Link stood up and began to reach for his sword.

"What are you doing!?" Arielle shouted with a furious face.

"I have to go!" Link desperately shouted as he glanced down at his hand. To Zelda and Arielle, there was nothing noticeably wrong with his hand, but to Link it was pouring out blood. The life force of the innocent was going to spill, or was already spilled. Before Link could rush out of the moving cart however, Zelda had grappled unto him, trying to force him down to the floor of the carriage.

"Settle down, Link! I hate not taking action as much as you do, but you must realize that with your injury you can't fight!" she shouted, trying to get him to realize common sense. With her words, Link noticeably began to calm down.

"Arielle, came back up front," the old man demanded, after a moment of awkward silence. As much as she hated leaving Link alone with Zelda, she wanted to get away from Link's desperate eyes. After nearly half a minute of Link's steady breathing and the sound of the carriage moving along the road, both Link and Zelda realized that she was still grappled unto him, holding him tightly with her arms and legs wrapped around him. A tinge of pink began to form on both their faces as the old man sharply whispered into the back, "get down!"

Link did as he was ordered and quickly, and quietly dropped to the ground in a heap, lying on top of Zelda. Before either could fully realize the situation, they heard voices outside the carriage.

"Hyrule has ordered that none may leave the town while the battles are raging," an official sounding voice came from outside. Before Zelda could call out that she ordered him to let them leave, Link placed his hand over her mouth and made a noise that almost sounded like a soft breeze, symbolizing that he wanted her to be quiet, for now.

"Please sir, with all these battles, I'm afraid my wares will be ruined, can I please drop them off at a friend's house and come right back?" the old man pleaded.

"I don't know… What are you transporting?" the official voice asked.

"Just some goods from town, along with some food and water for my friend, he really does need it…" the old man explained as he handed the man a few rupees. The official from Hyrule coughed once and then nodded as he placed the colorful crystals in his pouch.

"I just need to inspect what you're transporting and then you can leave, but you _must_ promise to come back," the official said, traveling around to the back of the cart to get a good look inside.

"Who are they!?" the official shouted as he saw the still forms of Link and Zelda.

"Oh, you'll have to excuse them," the old man began with a sly look on his face,

"it's my son and his wife, and well, you know…" he trailed off with an unseen smile that only Arielle saw.

"Fine then, carry on," the official said, only getting a good look at Link but not the princess. The old man wasted no time going through the gates of the town and began to head into the woods that began near the castle town. As they left the city, the old man told Link and Zelda that they were clear, but Link and Zelda were too busy staring into each other's eyes.

"Her eyes are so beautiful, almost hypnotic," Link thought to himself in a whisper, almost afraid she could read his thoughts as she stared into his very being. After a moment of gazing at one another, with blush creeping along their faces, Arielle cleared her throat, purposely making a loud noise to shake them out of their trance. Link quickly moved off of her and sat against a crate, hoping she wouldn't realize his red face.

"Wait, how did you know about all that's going on in town?" she asked with a skeptical expression on her face.

"A good friend of mine is a soldier fighting for your cause and he gave me the inside scoop," the old man shared.

"What's this soldier's name? Perhaps I've heard of him?" she asked in a sincere manner.

"His name is Kastu," the old man smiled, remembering his old friend.

"Kastu!?" Link and Zelda both gasped at once.

"Well, it seems as if you know him already," the old man laughed as they began to go deeper into the woods.

"So where are we going?" Link asked the old man, as silence almost overtook the conversation after the startling revelation.

"Well what I said wasn't a total lie, a friend of mine is traveling to Termina, a land in the South, and he told me that I could use his home for as long as I wanted…" the old man trailed off with a smile on his face.

"It will probably be another hour, so you three can get some rest," he smiled as he patted Arielle's head. She gave him a smile and a hug and then went to the back of the carriage and leaned up against Link's left side. He merely gave a small smile and put his arm around her, almost acting like his appendage was some kind of blanket, as evening began to settle in sky. Arielle then closed her eyes and placed her head into Link's chest and attempted to get some rest as they traveled along the bumpy forest trail. After a few minutes of resting, Link looked up to see that Zelda was shivering as cold night air began to form around them.

"Your thin dress must not protect you from the cold much," Link commented to her. She only looked up at him with an expression that showed she was thinking of sarcastic remarks. Before she could say anything though, Link chuckled.

"Come closer, it's warm by me," he offered with a smile. As she moved closer to him she looked up with a doubtful appearance.

"And just how is it warmer by you?" she asked, but before she could get an answer, a powerful arm wrapped around her shoulder, drawing her close to Link. Both faces red, they stared at each other for a moment before Link spoke,

"that's why…" he trailed off with a lopsided smile, feeling rather proud he was so bold. She only smirked at him and cuddled in closer to him, leaning her head against his chest like Arielle had done before her. After a little over a half-hour of resting, or being rested on, they all felt the carriage come to a stop. As they all stood up and stepped outside the horse and carriage, they saw before them a beautiful log cabin before them.

"It's so gorgeous," Zelda gushed as she began to move towards it.

"Hold on just a second your highness," the old man began as she turned around to see what he needed.

"Link may be the strongest of all of us, but we can't have him opening his wound or something, so we'll need your help moving the food and water out of the carriage,"

"That's understandable," she said with a smile, hardly realizing how much work it could possibly be.

After about twenty minutes of work, Zelda was sitting on a tree stump near the house, completely exhausted. She was used to royal duties and politics, but not menial labor. Link walked up beside her and offered his hand to help her up. As she glanced up she realized he had a smile on his face. As much as she didn't like him finding humor in her lack of strength, she didn't want to make him mad, because he had still helped her bring things in, even though he didn't have to. As they both walked towards the door, they realized that the old man and Arielle were hopping back on to the carriage.

"Where are you going?" Link asked with confusion splashed across his face.

"The guards might grow suspicious if I don't come back, plus somebody has to spy and see how things are going so that they can report back to you," the old man smiled.

"Bye Link! We'll come back soon!" Arielle waved to Link, although a little angry she couldn't spend more time with him.

"We'll come back in a weeks time to check in or tell you good news!" the old man shouted as he turned his large wagon around and began to head off in the distance. Link and Zelda stood in front of the large and well-crafted cabin with dumbfounded looks on their faces.

"We'll be," Link trailed off and then continued on in a soft voice, "alone?" he looked over to Zelda who merely gave him a smile,

"We won't be alone, as long as we're together…"

Author's Notes: Sorry it took so long… Not only have I been busy with college, but my computer froze up on me while I was doing this chapter the first time. With lots of things going on, I lost a little bit of the will to work on it for a while. Hopefully I'm back on track now! Thanks again for all your reviews, and especially Junky who got my rear back in gear! …Man, that sounded lame…


	11. To Live A Life That Could Never Be

Disclaimer: I don't own Nintendo or anything involving Legend of Zelda, but I am attempting to write a story about things that involve them for entertainment purposes only. Not for the money thing. That's bad.

It Won't Stop Running Down My Hand

To the west, the sun was setting over the kingdom of Hyrule. Within the town and castle of the fair kingdom, a huge battle had taken place, in the name of revolution. Away from the castle and the coup d'etat that was occurring there, was a large forest, which housed a large wooden cabin. The cabin was large, and it was obvious that much time, effort and money was spent on creating it. It had a large living room, a nice kitchen, a small pantry, a few rooms and even an upstairs with even more rooms. Within one of those bedrooms, lay Link as he dreamed away.

"No…" he mumbled in his sleep, showing that his dreams may very well have been nightmares. Tossing on to his back from laying on his stomach, the blankets flew off of him, showing his bare chest. Moonlight poured into his room from a window that was slightly opened, letting a soft breeze slide across his body, making him shiver. Then, just as his murmuring began to fade away, he shot up and let out a ghastly shriek. Looking at this left hand, he could see blood exploding out of his hand and splattering into his face.

"I should have gone to help those protecting the castle! I should have gone!" he thought to himself as screams erupted out of his throat.

After only about a half a minute of his ear splitting howls, his door flew open and light shone into his small bedroom. Looking up from his drenched hand, the form of Zelda holding a lantern stood before him.

"Link, are you alright?" she uttered in a sincere manner. Although her voice was nervous, it hadn't lost any of the power it usually carried.

"Ni-nightmares…" he mumbled under his breath as he averted his gaze away from her authoritative stare. Looking away from her eyes, his sight locked back on to his hand, which was pouring out blood. Zelda watched in silence as she watched Link's eyes fill with horror at the sight of his left palm. As Link glared in anguish at the blood that only he could see, he felt something very delicate wrap itself around his shoulders. Quickly turning his head, he saw that Zelda was now on the bed with him, with her arms around him, trying to comfort him.

"It's okay Link, they're only nightmares. Nothing more…" she whispered to him in such a soothing way that it reminded him of a mother reassuring her child. Link could feel his eyes growing heavy as he became more and more comfortable in her arms.

"I would have waited an eternity for this…" he thought he heard himself say aloud, as he drifted off to sleep.

As the darkness of his mind came together, it was suddenly pushed aside, and Link found himself in a small garden. Although not a fanciful and whimsical garden that one might find in a dream, it seemed real; in such a way that Link found himself wishing he could lie down in the flowers and just relax. Before he could continue contemplating whether or not he should nap, two beings began to walk towards him, unaffected by his presence.

"Oh Link, you're so kind," a soft feminine voice called out. As Link turned around, he let out a sharp gasp to see a young teenage version of Princess Zelda walking along holding hands with… himself?

"Impossible…" Link uttered, as he stared at a young teen version of himself. Though for some reason, he felt that this doppelganger couldn't be him, since this young form of himself seemed too soft compared to his large usual self.

"I'm glad you're back Link, I missed you while you were away in Termina…" Zelda said as she grasped his hand a little tighter.

"Termina?" the elder Link thought aloud, knowing that it was a land to the South of Hyrule.

"I missed you as well, but I needed to look for Navi…" the young Link sighed as he looked towards the sky.

"Navi?" the older Link asked aloud, to nobody in particular. Just as the older Link spoke this, both the young ones turned around and gazed at him.

"That's right, Navi…" the young Link stated with an innocent voice.

"Who are you two? Ghosts?" the more sagely Link questioned with suspicion in his voice.

"Maybe to you we are, but that's not how we see it," the pretty young girl with the guise of Zelda spoke.

"Then what are you?" Link asked while narrowing his eyes at them.

"We are what was, is and always will be…" she smiled at him as she took her young Link's hand and the world around them began to fade into darkness.

"What's that supposed to mean!?" Link shouted as he felt his world turn black.

As light began to appear around him, it was obvious to Link that he had just woken up from a strange dream. Brightness flooded into the room as Link stood up to look out the window and into the woods, which surrounded the cabin, he now stayed at.

"Damn confusing kids," he mumbled under his breath as he glanced around his room.

"Something's missing from this room though…" he said to himself as he looked around his room, feeling that something was out of place. After a moment of tired thinking, he finally realized that Princess Zelda must have left his room.

"Well, even though that was a nice experience, being held by her, this might be a little awkward…" Link thought to himself as he walked out of his room, down a hallway and into the kitchen. Zelda was sitting at a table, looking up at Link. She wore a very simple brown dress that was probably given to her by the old man and a pink glow was across her face.

"What's wrong?" Link asked, hoping that she wouldn't bring up that she had calmed him into sleep.

"Erm, you…" she muttered as she looked away from him. Confused, Link looked himself over only to realize that he was only wearing a bare minimum of clothing that bordered on nudity. A wrap of cloth around his crotch area was all he had on, and even that seemed to be coming undone. He barely had time to shout out that he was sorry before rushing back into his room to put on some more clothing.

"What should we do for breakfast?" Zelda asked Link, who was now more clothed then before. No words were spoken about the incident before and Link was thankful that it happened since they now didn't have to talk about her putting him to sleep.

"Well, we have the bare minimum, but that won't do for too long…" Link trailed off as he glanced out a window as they sat at a table in the kitchen.

"What should we do about that then?" she asked, concerned about how they would survive without much food.

"Don't worry too much, we could survive at least a week or so with only water, but you probably aren't used to that…" he trailed off again as he looked away from the window and focused his eyes on a blue vase which sat upon the top of the deep brown wooden table. After a few moments of silence, Link began to feel a little uncomfortable at his frank remark.

"This morning though, we'll just have some bread and butter…" he trailed off as if such a simple meal was completely natural for him.

"Bread and butter!?" Zelda nearly shouted, not realizing that such simple meals probably WERE completely natural for him.

"Arielle and," Link hesitated thinking to himself for a moment, "Gramps didn't leave us with too much…"

"Well, fine." Zelda then turned in her chair, away from Link and crossed her arms, as if her pouting would let her get her way. For a few minutes, no words were spoken as Link began to contemplate what he should do to break the awkward situation.

"The evenings have been getting colder," he stated, finally thinking of something to do.

"Yeah?" she asked, giving him a suspicious look.

"I don't think this place has any fire wood stored, so we should get some. There's a fireplace in the living room that we can use for when it begins to get cooler…" he trailed off, hinting that she should readily agree with him.

"Fine, what are you going to do about it?" she insinuated, reverting back to her more regal princess manor. Link laughed at this for a moment and gave her an odd look.

"What do you mean, me?" he chuckled as he got up from the table and motioned at her to follow him. Walking outside, he led her to a shack, which was located behind the house and stepped inside it. Less then a moment later he appeared hold an axe in his hand.

"You're suggesting that I chop fire wood?" she sulked with a look of displeasure on her face.

"With my shoulder messed up, I can't very well do it for at least a few days…" Link trailed off as she quickly grabbed the axe from him and gave him a sneer.

"Come along your majesty…" Link sighed with a smile.

A few hours later, Zelda stood panting in front of a tree stump, with many pieces of chopped wood around her. Leaning on the handle of the axe, with its blade on the ground, it seemed as if she had never worked so hard in her entire life. Wearing a gray tunic, white leggings, brown boots and her golden blonde hair in a pony tail, it seemed as if she was made for the 'part.'

"You did great, this should last for at least a week," Link smiled whole-heartedly at her. Zelda turned away and began to wipe 'sweat' off her forehead, when in actuality she was blushing from the smile Link had given her. Through the entire time she had chopped wood Link had sat on a tree stump nearby and watched her, giving her pointers on how to swing the axe more efficiently.

"If you'd like you can come with me?" Link asked, as she realized his voice was no longer coming from the tree stump he sat at.

"Huh?" she muttered, turning around to see him holding a fishing pole with a sincere look on his face.

"Didn't you hear me? I'm going to see if I can find a river and catch us something for dinner tonight…" Link trailed off as she started at him with an intent look on her face.

"No, that's okay," she finally said, "I'll tidy up around here and just relax for a while…"

"Alright, but call if you need any help, alright?"

"Okay," she smiled at him as she began to pile up the firewood in a small shelter near the house. Walking away from her with a smile, he was determined to give her a meal that she would actually like.

Hours later, as the sun began to set and both of the residents of the cabin had already washed up, a fire was roaring in it's hearth and a metal tray was above the fire with two fish sitting on it being cooked. Link sat in front of the fire, doing the cooking while Zelda sat on a comfortable looking sofa that seemed as if it could fit into the decor of a castle.

"So not only are you a perfect body guard and survival expert but you can also cook?" she smiled at Link, while now wearing a dress, which seemed to fit nicely into the image of her in a log cabin. The dress was a dull brown color but for some reason, in Link's eyes anyway, it made her beauty stand out even more.

"I traveled a lot, so I had to teach myself how to cook…" he trailed off with a smile at her compliment.

"I wouldn't be able to do any cooking if you hadn't cut the fire wood though," he slightly turned his head to look at her for a moment before turning around and looking back at the fish he was cooking.

"I guess I did do a pretty good job," she smirked with pride, allowing some of her royal behavior to shine through. Link had to grin at this himself, because even if she could behave a little bratty at times, deep down she was still that little girl who had saved him from becoming nothing more then an average devil. Finally, as he thought to himself, the fish seemed to be done so he placed them on a plate and told Zelda that dinner was ready. Just as they sat down at the kitchen table they both began to eat quickly, devouring the fish. About half way through the meal, Zelda looked up from her nearly skeletal fish to see Link blankly staring in her direction.

"Link, is there something wrong?" she asked with concern, noticing a single tear was rolling down his face.

"Is," he paused for a moment, as if choosing his words, "this what it's like to live?"

Author's Note: AHH! I've dragged myself out of Hell itself…! Sorry about the long wait folks, but lots of things have been going on. College, family, friends, relationships (Haha, or a lack there of,) and then to top it off, the day I put aside to finish this chapter up, my basement flooded with sewage. Yeah, the computer is in the basement along with ALL my stuff. Needless to say, that kind of set the schedule back… I hate to sit here and make excuses, but it's the truth. As always, your reviews really make me happy… Yes, even the ones complaining that I'm lazy and need to review. …Mainly because it's true…!


	12. Going Off To War With Loved Ones

Disclaimer: I don't own Nintendo or anything involving Legend of Zelda, but I am attempting to write a story about things that involve them for entertainment purposes only. Not for the money thing. That's bad.

It Won't Stop Running Down My Hand

Sitting in a small and cozy kitchen in a cabin which lie in the woods near the castle town of Hyrule, was a young man and woman, each with golden blonde hair. Both seemed very much at peace, sipping on their cups of tea, as if this was the most common thing in the world to them. If it was any other pair of young people, then it might very well have been a common thing, but these two were different.

"When do you think Gramps will come back with some information?" Link asked between a sip of his tea.

"I'm not sure, but I'm beginning to get a little worried," Zelda sighed as she blew on her steaming cup which was obviously refilled very recently.

"I used to think tea was a very bitter drink, but for some reason while I've been here, it's begun to taste so much better," Link softly spoke with a small smile on his face.

"Is that supposed to be a compliment?" Zelda smirked as a slight amount of red brushed across Link's face. Before either of them could speak another word however, a slight knock at the door was heard.

"Stand back," Link's voice instantly tensed up; as compared to the soft voice he was using moments before. As Zelda hid back in the kitchen, Link pulled out his Master Sword and stealthily walked up to the door and opened it a crack to peak out.

"Link!" Arielle shouted as she pushed the door open and jumped into Link, forcing him to return the hug and hold her up. A few seconds later, Zelda had walked out and Link looked up to see a smile on her face. The old man shortly followed after Arielle and gave Link a pat on the back.

"We come baring some news," the old man said, in almost too soft of a voice. They then went into the kitchen and Link poured some tea for both Arielle and the old man. While Arielle made some faces at the drink, which she didn't seem to enjoy, the old man sipped calmly, as if he had done so a million times before.

"What of my kingdom?" Zelda asked after a few moments of silence. The old man seemed to hesitate, as if not liking the answer.

"Many of your soldiers have sided with General Sifrak, and have taken over the castle…" he trailed off as Zelda gasped and Link tightened his hands into fists.

"The counter-offensive has probably begun right now." the old man finished with a shake of his sagely head.

"What? Already!?" Link shouted as he nearly slammed his fist into the table.

"Why didn't they wait for Link?" Zelda asked with a look of fright on her face.

"Kastu felt that Link should focus on protecting you…" the old man trailed off as Arielle sat very silent.

"No!" Link screamed as stood up and ran off into his room. Zelda and Arielle followed shortly after, as the old man sat at the table sipping his tea in a silent manner.

"Link? What are you doing?" Arielle asked in her quiet childish voice before Zelda got a chance to ask.

"I'm packing up my weapons," Link softly spoke in a stoic way as he loaded his gear up with all of his weapons.

"What do you plan on doing? Going and fighting all our highly trained soldiers by yourself? You don't even have your huge sword anymore!" Zelda criticized, getting impatient with Link's gung-ho ways.

"Yes, I'm going, and you'll all be staying here…" Link said as he picked up his Master Sword and placed it at his side.

"I will NOT wait here." Zelda said in such a forceful voice that Link stopped in his tracks from walking to the door.

"You are my body guard, correct? You must do everything I say, correct?" Zelda pushed as Link just stared at her.

"I order you to take me along, so that I may not be condemned as being a coward while my own soldiers who believe in me go and fight my battles. This I command!" the Princess spoke in such a powerful voice that it was no wonder to Link and Arielle that she was able to lead the largest and most powerful kingdom on the face of the planet.

"Yes, your majesty…" Link softly spoke as he got on to his knee and bowed his head to her in such a way that it reminded Arielle of a gallant knight, making a promise to a queen. A few minutes later, Link walked out of the cabin, followed by Princess Zelda and they both walked steadily towards the castle of Hyrule.

"Link, do you think that you can make a difference when we get there?" Zelda asked as she gripped tightly on a shield that was found in the house that Link felt she should carry. It was an old Hylian soldier's shield, blue with beautiful patterns on it.

"I won't be making the biggest difference…" Link trailed off as he glanced down at his left hand.

"What do you mean?" she asked with a look of confusion on her pretty face.

"You'll see when we get there…" he trailed off with a smirk on his face, which quickly vanished when we looked at palm of his left hand.

"Why is it you always frown when you look at your left hand?" Zelda asked with a look of compassion on her face.

"My left hand shows me that death is constantly around me, and sometimes I can do nothing to stop the killing from happening…" Link sighed as he looked at his hand with terror. Zelda could speak no words to that.

"Even now, it's pulsing out blood that only I can see," Link frowned as he tightened his hands, and to him the blood began to ooze between his clenched fingers.

"Could you tell me where you got that scar that's across the left side of your face then? It's faint, but I can tell that it happened…" she softly asked as they began to reach the walls of the castle town. After a moment or so, he finally answered in soft voice,

"This scar is proof of my loyalty to you."

Author's Notes: Sorry about the terrible wait and the fact it's so short and leaves you hanging… I'd write more but I have a new job that's kind of demanding of my time. Any time I AM home, I tend to be a little too tired. Sorry to all of you who probably lost a little bit of faith in me… I'll try to write more as soon as possible, but I don't want to make promises as to when… Don't worry, this story WILL BE FINISHED!! THIS I COMMAND!!!!!


	13. Scream In Agony

Disclaimer: I don't own Nintendo or anything involving Legend of Zelda, but I am attempting to write a story about things that involve them for entertainment purposes only. Not for the money thing. That's bad.

It Won't Stop Running Down My Hand

Walking through the gates of castle town, a large man with a long sword and a beautiful woman with a Hylian shield stood in front of a large mass of soldiers. The young man pulled out his long sword, flipped it around in the air, displaying his prowess with the weapon and came to a defensive stance in front of the blonde haired woman.

"If you want her, just try to get past me!" Link shouted with a look of force on his face.

"It's that devil!" screamed one of the soldiers as he pulled a whistle out of his pocket, blew it loudly and waited. A moment later, archers with crossbows came out all around them from different hiding spots and aimed their weapons at Link and Zelda.

"Link." Zelda mumbled under her breath as all the archers fired at the duo. Standing his ground, Link held his weapon in front of him, in hopes of blocking the arrows that were aimed for his face. In the blink of an eye, time seemed to slow down, as all the arrows seemed to slow down and bounce off of some invisible field that surrounded Link and Zelda.

"Is this your doing?" Link whispered to a surprised Zelda.

"No, if I know any spells they're not nearly as strong as this…" she trailed off with a look of shock on her face. While they spoke, the archers fired yet another volley of arrows, but this time Link looked at his sword, and found that it glowed from the hilt every time an arrow came close to where the princess was. A large smile formed on his lips as he raised the sword into the air and slammed the weapon, blade first, into the ground in front of Zelda. All of the mutineer soldiers stared at the large man, as he stepped in front of where the blade was, raised his arms into a fighting position and motioned with his finger to 'come closer.'

"Bring it on." he smiled as the soldiers just looked at him like he was crazy. Sure he could destroy armies, but that was with weapons! As far as they were concerned, he had become stark raving mad.

"Be careful…" Zelda whispered as she noticed Link gave her a small smile and reached to his back and ripped his pack off and toss it to her feet.

"Cover me," he said, as if he was asking her for a common favor.

"What are you talking about? I can't fire at my own countrymen!" she shouted, a small amount of fear in her voice.

"They are no longer your subjects. They are nothing more then ungrateful pigs, begging to be slaughtered…" Link trailed off, halfway realizing his speech was probably too twisted. In any case, he had gotten his point across, as Zelda reached into the pack and pulled out a bow with a quiver of arrows. As more archers fired at Zelda, the Master Sword deflected any missiles that would come near her.

"With the firing of that bow Zelda, you are no longer a princess…" Link said aloud as she prepared an arrow and pulled back, waiting to fire.

"Once you let loose that arrow, you are a Queen!" Link shrieked the top of his lungs as he dove at a nearby soldier, punching him in the nose and pulling the sword from out of his hands. As he swung the borrowed blade into the neck of a charging soldier, he heard the Queen's arrow fire and sink into the stomach of another soldier that was coming up behind Link. Leaving the sword he rented in the neck of the soldier, he pivoted on his foot and slammed his elbow into the man who was sneaking up behind him, who now had an arrow in his stomach. As he dropped backwards, Link pulled the arrow out of his gut, and spun around. The spin surprised yet another warrior who was running towards him, so Link to the opportunity to jam the arrow into the man's eye, causing blood to spew forth and curses to fly out of his mouth. Grabbing the man's weapon, which was a spear, he quickly jumped into the air and over the man, bringing the spear down into the throat of another fighter. A scream didn't even have time to form as the pole arm slid down his gullet and crushed most of his organs as it made its way to his inner abdomen. Leaving the javelin in his body, Link hopped away from him, and found another soldier, preparing to swing a flail at him. Sliding close to the man who swung, he jammed his open palm into the man's face as the swing went too far and the man's right arm was wide open, revealing an open spot in his armor. Pulling out a small dagger, Link quickly jammed the knife into the man's underarm, which had no armor protecting it. Screaming, Link was about to leave him for others when an arrow pierced into the man's throat, killing him. Glancing over his shoulder, he found that Zelda was firing her arrows at an incredible rate with precision, showing that she probably had some prior training with the weapon before. Link then noticed something incredible; all the archers were dead!

"How could she possibly be _that_ good with such a weapon?" Link thought to himself, as he dove towards his valuable long sword, tumbling and diving out of weapons that were being thrust towards him. Finally reaching the weapon, he pulled it out of the ground, and for a moment he thought he heard the blade scream for the blood of the guilty. The warriors stopped dead in their tracks as they realized the demon had his weapon.

"Who wants to die first?" Link sneered, as the soldiers backed away from him and the Queen. Then, in an unexpected act, a huge group of fighters, all having a piece of red cloth tied around their arms, ran in from around a corner and dove into the crowd of radical soldiers, slicing them to pieces. After a few minutes, one of the warriors who were wearing red cloth walked slowly towards Link and Zelda. He then bowed to the Queen and Link noticed a tear rolled down his face.

"Your majesty, you have returned." he spoke in a dignified voice

"Where is he?" Link asked in a grim voice.

"Who?" the soldier asked as he looked up at Link.

"Kastu?" Zelda answered as he looked at the both of them.

"He's currently taking most of the soldier we have and blitzing the castle, in an effort to take down Sifrak." the soldier answered as Link and Zelda hurried towards the castle.

"You cannot go there my liege!" the soldier shouted as Link looked to them both.

"Give me fifteen minutes, and come in. That's all the time I'll need…" he spoke as he tightened his grip on the Master Sword.

"You have exactly that much time." Zelda said as she followed him towards the castle and Link left her and the soldiers in a small patch of forest near the castle. Walking up to the huge doors of the castle, he slammed them open and stepped into the dim hall. Lying before him were the bodies of hundreds of soldiers. Laying in the middle of the sea of bodies was one with an axe in it's side, a sword in it's back, a large amount of arrows sticking in it, a spear through it's stomach and out its back, and a piece of it's neck cleaved off from some large sword. Truly, whoever the soldier was, he was more tenacious then all the others and fought bravely to the end. Aside from Link, no other living being was in the main hallway. Stepping up to the body, he felt a tingle in his left hand. Finally getting a good look at the face of the person, he let out a gasp. He then quickly looked to his left hand, and saw that the small amount of blood that was sliding out had now stopped. In the middle of the vortex that released the blood was now a large and reptilian eye. Blinking, it looked around and then finally found Link looking into it. A moment passed before Link let out a screech of agony. Blood then erupted out his left hand like a volcano of gore as he began to run towards the direction Sifrak would be. The person lying on the ground, dead, was Kastu…

Author's Note: Lousy College and work… always destroying my time. Well, I hope things are still as interesting in this fan fiction, despite the fact it's taking me a thousand years to finish it. As for my last author's note? The person who used the quote was Serpentor, from G.I. Joe. Why bring that up? I don't know… but talking about the Joe's is better then making lousy excuses as to why I don't write as much as I should… Oh yeah, sorry it's so short, but again, it's all about the time… Thanks for reading and reviewing!


	14. Why?

Disclaimer: I don't own Nintendo or anything involving Legend of Zelda, but I am attempting to write a story about things that involve them for entertainment purposes only. Not for the money thing. That's bad.

It Won't Stop Running Down My Hand

Running down a long hallway, which was littered with dead bodies of both the red cloth wearing loyalists and the rebel soldiers which had begun to follow Sifrak, Link was moving as fast as he could to reach the man responsible for Kastu's death. Although he seemed exhausted, to a spectator Link seemed perfectly fine, but in his own eyes, he was drenched in blood, Kastu's blood, which didn't have to be spilled.

"I may not have known him well, but Kastu didn't deserve to die like that!" Link shouted at himself in his mind.

"Aside from Zelda, he was the only one who was willing to defend me! He didn't even know me, either!" he shrieked in his thoughts, pushing himself forward down the hall.

"I'm going to make them pay for this!" he yelled out loud, as more blood erupted out of his left hand, which was gripping his Master Sword. Finally reaching a set of double doors, Link gave the doors a swift kick, only to find a group of people standing around, as if they were waiting for him. In the middle of a large group of soldiers, was General Sifrak, wearing an ornate set of armor.

"I guess you did show up, boy." he spoke in a booming voice, as he gripped unto a large sword with both his hands.

"That's my full blade, 'Death,'" Link whispered to himself as he stared at Sifrak, who had the gall to use his own weapon.

"It's my weapon now, boy…" Sifrak trailed off with a smirk. Suddenly, behind Sifrak, the form of a person caught Link's attention. The man seemed ordinary enough, maybe a little older then link with deep black hair, gray eyes, and a slender face, but there was something unsettling about him.

"Tell me boy," Sifrak began with his loud voice, "where is the Princess?" he leered. Link gave no response but tightened the grip on his sword. A few moments later, the slender man behind Sifrak's eyes burst open, as if he just noticed something.

"The Princess is hiding in a grove nearby the castle," he spoke as if he just saw her with his own eyes. Although the voice was very calm, Link almost thought he heard a deep undertone to it, as if the voice was being disguised. Sifrak then instructed the foot soldiers of the room to seek her out and bring her back here.

"She'll have to take care of herself, I've got to get rid of these two before anything else!" Link stated to himself in his thoughts, while he tightened the grip on his sword and slowly began to move into an offensive position.

"Bring it on, boy!" Sifrak yelled as he raised the full blade into the air and swung it down to where Link was. To Link, Sifrak had obviously never trained with such a weapon, because he left himself completely open, giving Link the perfect opportunity to swing the Master Sword around, cleaving off Sifrak's head like it was a flower in a garden. Blood spewed out of the neck of the large man, and the body fell over on top of it's own head. The large body also fell over the full blade, but given enough time the sword would be recovered.

"That was too easy," Link smiled as he looked up to the slender man.

"You may as well give up, since your leader is already dead." Link stated as he glanced at the slender man. To Link's surprise however, rather then surrender, the man was beginning to giggle.

"I would expect no less out of the one who bares the sign of courage!" he shouted in a suddenly powerful voice, as he held up his right hand, which was clenched into a fist. A gasp flew out of Link's mouth as he saw that the back of the man's hand had a series of triangles on it, with the one on top shining a gold color.

"Ganondorf!" Link screamed as he tightened his grip on the master sword and blood began to ooze down the hilt of the blade.

"Although I may not have use of my body, this one will do as I control it with my very will. So yes, you may call me Ganondorf for lack of a better name," he grinned as he ran his tongue along his lips.

"What do you want here!?" Link screamed as he gave a quick glance to his left hand, to see blood pouring out of it still.

"You seem to be having some problems with that left hand of yours, eh Hero?" he laughed as shock registered on Link's face.

"How do you know about my left hand? Nobody can see the blood but me!" Link shrieked.

"Don't underestimate me boy, for I am the one who placed that curse upon one of your," he hesitated with his words with a smile on his face, "former selves."

"You did this to me!?" he screamed as he dove towards Ganondorf, unable to hold back his anger any longer. Although he moved with blinding speed, a smirk appeared on the barer of Power's face as he shoved his right hand towards Link, and in a flash of light, a ball of darkness erupted out of his hand and slammed into Link.

"Placing curses is not all I can do!" he screamed as Link flew backwards, consciousness slipping away.

"How can he be that powerful?" he whispered as he hit the ground and everything went black. Moments later, his vision came back and he was suddenly on a ship in a vast ocean. Before he could stand and wander around, two other ships instantly surrounded the ship, and a large amount of Moblinesque creatures boarded the ship he was on. In a flash of blinding speed, a young man in green jumped into the crowd of dog faced creatures, and defeated them all in a few moments. The sword he wielded was the very same as Link's. Before moving over to the talented swordsman, a young woman wearing cloths of blues and reds came out and hugged the young swordsman who wore a green tunic… much like Link's own.

"That was wonderful! You haven't lost your touch!" she smiled with a wink as the wind pushed her blonde hair away. The boy said no words to her, but scratched the back of his head, as if it was no big deal.

"Wait! These are more ghosts!" Link shouted as he realized this vision was much like the dream he had before. Turning around to look at the large Link, they smiled and the smaller and faster Link nodded his head.

"Remember what you are, and what you bear!" the small Link shouted as the vision disappeared and Link's eyes opened with a start. Standing before him was the form of Ganondorf and he had a smile on his face.

"Destroying this form might break the curse," he nonchalantly muttered as he then began to laugh, teasing Link whose right shoulder was now in deep pain. Just as his shoulder hurt, so too did his left hand, causing him to clench on his sword even tighter, which hadn't left his hands. Quickly forcing his body off the ground, he began to take some wild swings at Ganondorf. As fast as Link moved his sword, Ganondorf was still too fast, dodging all of the swordsmen's moves. No matter what tricks Link used, Ganondorf was a step ahead each time, teasing Link all the while. Finally stopping to catch his breath, Link began to gasp for air and lean on his sword that was in the ground, blade first.

"What's wrong Hero? Don't tell me you want to die that badly?" Ganondorf smirked as he held out his hand and a ball of pure darkness swirled around in his hand. Then, out of what seemed like nothing itself, an arrow, which emitted a golden light, slammed into his forehead and embedded itself there. Link quickly turned around to see Zelda, cuts all over her body and breathing heavily with a bow in her hands.

"Only an arrow of light can defeat the Prince of Darkness…" she trailed off with a smile as she fell to her knees and seemed to lose consciousness.

"The bitch!" Ganondorf's voice boomed out of the body that still stood in place, not moving.

"You and that Princess have been a thorn in my side for too long now! Even if it means having to wait another thousand years to recover my body, I'm going to destroy you both!" Ganondorf's voice boomed out of the body, as the form of a bat made of darkness shot out of the now dead body and into Zelda's sleeping form.

"What are you doing!?" Link screamed as Zelda then stood up, dropped the bow and looked up to Link with dead eyes.

"Come my Courage, and let me crush your very spirit!" Ganondorf's voice exploded out of Zelda's beautiful mouth. Clenching her hands into fists, she began to throw balls of darkness at Link, much like the last form did, only with reckless abandon now. Laughing with a deep voice, 'Zelda' began to stop paying attention to accuracy and seemed to take delight in making Link jump around to save his life.

"I can see in this bodies mind! I can see her strong feelings for you! I can see her anguish in knowing SHE will destroy her love!" Ganondorf laughed hysterically as thoughts began to race through Link's head.

"How can I stop her without hurting her? I don't want to hurt her!" Link's thoughts pounded in his head, causing him to almost get hit by one of the random shadow balls, which were flying towards him.

"I need to remember who I am, and what I bare…" Link trailed off aloud, whispering to himself, remembering anything that might help him.

"I am courage. Sometimes we even need courage to do the right thing…" he thought to himself as he stopped jumping around and turned to face Ganondorf who was borrowing Zelda's body.

"Decided to accept your death?" Zelda's body with Ganondorf's voice laughed maniacally. Tears began to gently run down Link's face as he looked towards Zelda.

"I cannot let Ganondorf be free to rule this world. Forgive me Zelda, I love you…" he trailed off and then jumped as high as he could into the air, bringing his sword into a slashing position.

"DON'T BE A FOOL! DON'T KILL HER!!!" Ganondorf shrieked, but it was too late. Link's sword was already aiming towards her neck. Then, right before Link could stop himself from striking her, a flash of light erupted out of the Triforce on her hand and a shadowy form of a bat erupted out of her with a scream of agony. With a blink of her eyes, she was back in control of her body again.

"NO!" Link screeched as he veered his sword away from her neck, and it plowed right into her legs with a sickening crack of bones and the projecting of blood into Link's face. Stopping before he cleaved her legs in half, he left the blade in her, so that the bleeding wouldn't rush out just yet, before he could find something to bandage her with. Tears exploded out of his eyes as he began to sob and lower his head so that he was facing the ground.

"Why? Why did it have to be this way? Why couldn't I have just waited a few more moments?" he wept as his body shuddered in agony.

"You did the right thing Link," she softly spoke in pain, like a mother would when comforting a child. They stayed like that for a few more moments, before Link bandaged Zelda up and he carried her back to the old man and Arielle. Time flows like a river, and history tends to repeat itself along the way. Sometimes however, time will diverge from the set path, and new occurrences will happen. Whether for the better or worse, time will always change over the years and it will always repeat itself.

Author's Notes: Wow. The end… It took me roughly five months to complete it… There is one last finale for you though, if you all so wish it to be… I have the epilogue planned, and I think you'll like it, since it isn't so angst-y as THIS ending… Although the ending may have seemed to pop out of nowhere, I did that on purpose. Sometimes life doesn't flow like a storybook, and there isn't always some kind of happy ending… Hence why this is an Angst/Romance fan fiction and not a Romance/Angst. Give me some time and the epilogue will come however… Thank you all for reading my first completed fan fiction and let me especially thank those who reviewed. It really does mean a lot to me to have you all enjoy my writing so much. Although I keep saying this is the last chapter (well, it is…) there will be an epilogue, unless my reviewers for some reason refuse to read one… Thanks! Next I think I'll try a Neon Genesis Evangelion fan fiction!


	15. Epilogue: Because I Love You

Disclaimer: I don't own Nintendo or anything involving Legend of Zelda, but I am attempting to write a story about things that involve them for entertainment purposes only. Not for the money thing. That's bad.

It Won't Stop Running Down My Hand

In a forest, freshly born from the long winter, which had just occurred, stood a large cabin. Nearly as beautiful as a castle in a kingdom, this log cabin was surrounded by beautiful and well taken care of trees, which were almost glowing with a green lushness. Stepping around from the back of the gorgeous looking building, a tall old man came out, wearing a green tunic which seemed to blend into the woods that surrounded him. Short silver hair, which was perhaps once thick and long, was now thin and came out from under a green cap that matched the man's tunic. A very small smile was on the corner of his lips, but the only other emotion that he showed on his chiseled face was his vibrant blue eyes, which sparkled with the youth the man once had. In his right hand was a small axe, most likely used for chopping wood, and the other was wrapped up in a leather gauntlet. Walking up to a long since dead tree stump, he eyed it for a moment with a reflective expression and then cleaved his axe into the top of it, where it seems to have been placed before, time after time. Walking to the front door, he stepped inside, and let out a sigh as he kicked his leather boots off in the front walkway. Walking through the building, which appeared to be a house due to its 'lived in' nature, he went into a living room, which had a few pieces of assorted furniture, and an old rocking chair that sat in front of a large window, which overlooked the backyard of the house. Outside, in a small shed, was a large pile of freshly cut wood.

"Tired, dear?" a feminine voice from the rocking chair asked in a kind and tired voice, which seemed to be weathered by age.

"Not really. Would you like me to make you lunch, now that I'm done with that?" the old man answered in yet another mature voice, which had a tone of compassion to it. The old woman in the rocking chair wore a very lightly colored pink dress, with a shawl wrapped around her, which had embroidered yellow triangles all over it. Her snow hair had a tinge of yellow to it, suggesting that the hair could have once been blonde. Brilliant emerald colored eyes seemed to draw a large amount of attention to her, despite her wrinkled body, which seemed quite content to sit in the rocking chair.

"Lunch sounds very nice." she said with a smile as she continued looking out the window in front of her.

"We'll be getting another visit today," the old man said from the nearby kitchen, as he reached into a large closet, which suddenly poured out cold air on him.

"That's good, we haven't seen her in days." she grinned, rocking herself back and forth.

"By the way," the old man began as he pulled out a large pot from the closet, "this spell seems to be wearing off." he finished as he placed the pot over a fireplace.

"I'll prepare for the spell tomorrow morning and get everything ready by the afternoon." she spoke with closed eyes, as if trying to get some rest. The old man, noticeably concentrating his thoughts, watched as a fire suddenly sprung forth from the hearth and began to cook what was in the pot. Walking into the kitchen and receiving a wooden spoon, he went up to the pot and began to stir what seemed to be beef stew.

"Taking a nap, dear?" he spoke with a soft smile while still facing the pot of food he was slowly cooking. A muffled reply came from behind as he glanced back to see her drifting into sleep. He spoke no more words but walked into a bedroom and pulled out a quilt that had golden triangles knitted into it and placed it over the elderly woman and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead.

"You've always treated me so well…" she trailed off with a sigh as he smiled.

"Only the best for you, my wife."

After going back to the pot of beef stew, and warming it up even further, the old man heard something rumbling in the distance. He then waved his hand into the air, and the fire in the hearth seemed to magically disappear. Going into the kitchen and retrieving three bowls with spoons and some cloth napkins, he placed them on the table and went to his wife.

"Honey, she's here..." the old man said to the sagely old woman who was napping, and her eyes began to flutter open.

"Alright, go bring her inside." she instructed with a small smile.

"Yes dear," the old man smirked with a patronizing voice as he walked outside to where a figure on a horse was approaching. The fresh spring air filled the old man's lungs, and for a moment he felt that it was the surroundings that were keeping him alive for so long. Finally, the horseman slowed down and trotted the horse closely to the old man.

"Nice to see ya," an upbeat, but very feminine voice shouted as the slender figure slid off the horse.

"Good to see you too Arielle," the old man smiled to the woman who was just showing her first signs of late aging. Long brown hair and deep brown eyes set the two apart, along with her being much shorter then even the old man, who had probably shrunk over the years.

"I see you don't really have our supplies…" the old man trailed off as he brought the horse to the side of the house and tied it up, before giving it some food to eat.

"Hey, I'll be back tomorrow or maybe the day after, no big deal…" she laughed, trying to avoid any kind of blame.

"I suppose so, and we have plenty to last us…" he smiled as he gave her a light hug and led her into the house.

"Make yourself comfortable, we'll be in there in just a second," he said as he rounded the corner and went into the living room, and with a slight groan that could be heard by Arielle, he came walking back in with his wife in his arms. Setting her into a kitchen chair, he then slid the chair closer to the table and walked towards the hearth with a bowl and poured some stew into it.

"So how are you?" Arielle asked with a smile as some beef stew was placed before her and she began to eat.

"I'm doing very well out here. As long as my husband is here everything will be fine." she smiled and let out a soft 'thank you' to her husband who placed some stew in front of her.

"So how is Hyrule doing?" the old man said as he sat down in his own chair next to his wife with a stew filled bowl of his own.

"The King and Queen are doing a fine job…" Arielle trailed off.

"That's good." both the old man and woman said at once.

"They aren't doing as fine a job as the old Queen and General, but that's to be expected…" she trailed off again, this time with a large smile.

"Now now dear, those days are long since over. The wars following…" the old woman trailed off with a reflective expression on her face.

"The wars following THAT incident are long since gone." the old man softly spoke as he placed a hand on his wife's leg. Arielle, feeling slightly awkward, finished up the last of her stew and stood up.

"Sorry to eat and run, but I'm in a hurry, just thought I'd swing by for a bit." she spoke a little too quickly and began to leave.

"Arielle." the old man's voice called out. She turned around to see him stand up and give her a smile.

"Thank you for everything," he said as he sat back down to finish his lunch. From the smile Arielle gave them, it was obvious the old man rarely opened up with his feelings. She left with a wave, and left the elderly couple to themselves once again. They ate in relative silence, having spoken all the words that could have been said long ago, but still enjoying the other's company.

"You know…" the old man trailed off and his wife looked at him.

"Yes?" she asked, seeing how nervous he was.

"You never answered my question back then…" he sighed with a slight frown as he finished up his lunch.

"Question?" she asked, almost sure what the question would be.

"Yeah. Why?" he asked while looking down at the table.

"Honey…" she spoke in such a way that demanded his attention, but when his face wouldn't lift away from looking at the table, she look her hand and raised his chin towards her so that both pairs of eyes would meet.

"Do I really need to answer? Are you sure you don't already have the answer yourself?" she asked with a slight smile, causing him to give a smile himself.

"I suppose I do already know the answer," he said as he took all three bowls away from the table and began to wash them in a large basin.

"My dearest husband Link… For all these years you've been caring for me, even when I was Queen of Hyrule, you would never allow anyone but yourself care for me…" she trailed off with tears coming down her eyes. Link turned around and stared at her, wide eyed.

"Since you are so sweet and caring, strong and compassionate, I love you with all my heart." she finished up with a very sincere smile.

"I love you too Zelda…" he trailed off with blush on his face, having a hard time putting into words why he loved her as much as he did.

"Don't worry my tongue-tied knight-general, I know what you want to say…" she smiled as he blushed some more, seemingly having a hard time breaking old habits. Link then looked down at his left hand and smiled.

"It's been so long since I've seen blood, and I'd like to keep it that way…" he looked up at his wife with a smile and she smiled back. The day would continue on as it had the day before, with Link carrying his wife around the house to keep him company as he did chores, and eventually he would place her in bed and he would join her, and the next day would come and would go on just as the day before did, and the day before that, and frankly, Link and Zelda couldn't be happier for that...

The End.

Author's Notes: I hope this brought about a better conclusion for you all, and sorry it took so long to finish. I had about half of it done, but couldn't find the time to finish it up completely. I hope you all enjoyed my story, and maybe sometime in the distant future (and I do mean distant,) I'll write up some kind of side story. What it would be about, I'm not exactly sure… But I feel that this story has given me a pretty decent amount of experience when it comes to writing. Thank you all for reviewing, despite the fact that I'm not sure if I deserved so many reviews… If you have any questions, just e-mail me at EmperorKrieg69@aol.com with the words ZELDA FANFIC in the subject bar so I don't delete it, thinking its Spam. Thanks, and Seeya next time!


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